Just a Nightmare?
by Angel of FRIVOLOUS CAKES818
Summary: SOLANGELO. Sometimes, a nightmare is just a nightmare. But as Nico's life starts to revolve around these dreams, Will Solace knows that there might be something more than Just a Nightmare. And as the Son of Hades reveals what plagues his nights, everything starts to go totally WRONG. Fluff and nice things.
1. Chapter 1

Will anxiously stared at the boy in front of him. The words had escaped from his mouth before he even knew what was going on. Now as Nico cocked his head in that adorable way of his and frowned, his stomach sank.

"Sure."

Nico di Angelo was really hard to read. It was December and his mother had said that he was allowed to invite a friend over. She was inviting a whole bunch of family members he didn't know, and after an hour of insistent whining she had finally agreed that he could bring a friend over. Ecstatic, he had asked Nico to come with him.

And surprisingly, he had said yes.

Now a week later and standing before the son of Hades, he was more nervous than ever. The idiot was dressed in a black Pierce the Veil T-shirt and equally glum skinny jeans. Adorning his wrists, was an impressive collection of more depressing and possibly satanic band merchandise. Nico looked really out of place with the lightly falling snow outside and the brightly adorned bushes.

Almost immediately, the doctor in him took over.

"Nico! Where's your jacket? And the T-shirt, seriously? You're going to catch hour death out here." Will hurriedly pulled him inside. He staggered in.

"Umm… sorry?" he then awkwardly pushed something into Will's hands. "Merry Christmas." He grumbled.

Will glanced at the poorly wrapped package in his hands and grinned.

"Thanks! Oh and, you sound like the Grinch. Lighten up."

He rolled his eyes.

"Will, honey…is that your uncle Pellinore?" A woman's voice called from the kitchen.

"No mom, it's Nico."

Nico fidgeted nervously as a woman stepped out. There was an old, homey décor and the smell of freshly baked pie wafted out pleasantly. Will's mom looked as if she'd just stepped out of a picture, right along with the sprig of mistletoe above her head. She had soft light brown locks and was currently wearing an apron and a surprised smile on her face. Everything about her seemed soft. Her eyes were also a rich brown which sparkled with joy as she enveloped Nico in a warm hug.

"Oh, hello! You're the boy that will can't stop talking about! How very nice to meet you." She held him out at arm's length, her grin radiating just as brightly as Will's.

"MOM." Will groaned.

"Uh… hello." Nico mumbled, looking stiff as a board. "Nice to meet you too, Miss… Mrs.…Solace."

"Well you boys run along, Will remember to be nice to Henry. He is to be your brother in a couple of months!" She grinned as if this was spectacular news while Will grimaced.

"Oh…um, sure."

Nico hesitantly followed Will into his room. In truth, he felt a bit awkward about the whole affair. He recognized the slight hitch in his breath, the accelerated speed of his pulse, the sweaty palms and aching stomach. He had a crush on Will Solace. And it hurt. It hurt badly. He probably didn't even like guys…and if he did, why would he like Nico? He remembered when he was 5 or 6, how he had innocently given a flower to another boy his age. He didn't remember his name now, but he did remember how disgust had curdled his features and how he had swatted the flower away and promptly punched Nico in the face. The bitter feeling of rejection had stayed long after he'd stopped crying, and that feeling had gradually turned into fear.

But now he had learned how to protect himself. How to build walls around his heart, how to push people away and disappear when need be. For years he had avoided falling and shattering...surely this annoyingly sweet boy wouldn't be the bomb to knock over those walls.

"Nico? Hellooo?"

Nico blinked as Will waved his hand in front of his face. He flinched back. "Um...what?"

A teasing smirk danced on the other boy's lips and Nico flushed.

"I said…do you want to play a game? The rest of my family won't come until later."

Nico settled down next to him as Will plopped onto the floor. The past few weeks had been a bit awkward between them so Nico had been surprised when Will had asked him over. There had been once, where Nico had spotted Will coming over and felt a rush of emotions when Percy had carelessly taken Will's arm and said loudly, "Careful! You're probably not his type!" Nico had restrained himself from digging a hole and jumping in.

"Sure."

"M'kay." Will began turning on his console.

Nico loved the way he said that, the slight hum before the actual word, and the almost girly twang that vibrated with the 'y'.

"Have you played HALO? 3?" Those beautiful eyes turned toward him, holding a CD in his hands.

Nico hesitated. He _had,_ indeed, played before. Only Jason had said that he was a bit competitive. He didn't want to embarrass himself In front of Will. But he loved playing…he gave in.

Mere minutes later, Will stared at Nico with an expression full of awe and something close to fear. He would have never guessed it, but Nico was an expert player. Ten times better than Will was. The son of Hades leaned intently towards the screen, knuckles tight, brow furrowed in concentration. He flinched at every wound he suffered, as If he was physically feeling the pain. And from his delicate lips flowed a colorful string of words that would have made a sailor blush.

"Will? Where are you?" He hissed.

Will was fighting an inner battle... But the basic instinct of survival broke through.

"Nico…please forgive me." Will whispered dramatically.

Nico's eyes widened just as Will pressed the left trigger on his controller. A look of pure horror flashed across Nico's face just as the screen was illuminated by a blinding white light. The words, GAME OVER floated above the lower half of the screen as Will began laughing. The controller fell out of Nico's hands as he turned towards Will, incredulous.

"B-But… we're on the same team!" he sputtered.

"You were attracting the enemy. Sorry."

"Sorry?" Nico's face had turned an unhealthy shade of red. "You killed me! To save yourself! You're…Y-You're…"

Apparently he couldn't find a word bad enough to describe the utter atrocity that Will had committed, his hysterical laughter wasn't helping much either, and so he grabbed a cushion and whacked him straight in the face. His laughter died abruptly and he shoved Nico away. Nico playfully shoved him back.

"You're going down, Solace."

The slight boy pounced on Will. He laughed, wrestling him off and delivering a gentle blow on his torso. The son of Hades fell, landing hard on the other boy. His hips fit snugly in the valley of Will's legs and he placed an arm on Will's chest, a triumphant smirk on his face.

Will froze. He was thin, abnormally so, his bones jutting out and were digging into his skin. But his eyes sparkled playfully, a smirk shining on his lips and he was transformed. The normally scowling boy wore a genuine smile on his face. It was like something in Will snapped. His closeness, his presence, and the painfully vulnerable expression on his face exploded Will's self-control.

He decided to cross the bridge. Of everything else crashed and burned, he didn't care. All he saw was the younger boy's jubilant eyes. Tilting his head slightly, he touched his lips against his.


	2. Chapter 2

Well. Thank you for my lovely readers. To the guest who reviewed, Here is the next chapter. Your wish is my command. ;)

Nico's eyes widened. What was he doing? His lips parted in shock as Will kissed him. They were warm and full, touching him with the kind of gentleness that he used on his patients. His body and heart craved for him, he wanted Will. But the fear…it puddled in his stomach like bile. The closeness, the contact, the heat, it was too much. He felt the walls that he had worked so hard to build, crumbling. And it was Bianca's death again, and seeing Percy with Annabeth, and every fearful glance thrown his way, and Tartarus and Cupid all over again.

He wasn't in Will's arms anymore, it was fear itself. Yawning open and trying to consume him.

He recoiled, scrambling away, a pathetic whimper escaping his lips.

He had survived Bianca's death, he had defeated Cupid and gone through Tartarus. But why couldn't he face will?

"Nico—

Will said, reaching for him.

His hand wrapped around his wrist but Nico let out a cry and yanked his arm back. Where was his sword?

"Nico, calm down. It's okay…I-I'm sorry."

Nico stared at him. It wasn't a monster. It was just Will. _Just Will?_ Will Solace had kissed him. THE Will Solace. And Nico had pushed him away. Looking like an idiot. He felt his face burn with embarrassment.

"It…was an accident. But I like you….a lot." Will blushed furiously glancing down at the floor. He kept talking, but all Nico could hear were his 3 words bouncing around in his head.

I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you.

Suddenly driven by a force that he would later blame on Aphrodite, he took two easy steps forwards and kissed him. Will broke off mid ramble, eyes widening at the small Italian boy that was now kissing Will with a ferocity that surprised him. But finally he returned the kiss, and felt Nico melt against him. He curled an arm around his waist and ran the fingers of his other hand through the younger boy's hair. He felt the brown locks run through his fingers. The son of Hades sighed, resting his head on Will's chest. He wrapped his arms around him in wonderment. It was like a tiger transformed into a kitten. Nico mumbled something into his chest.

"What was that?"

He looked up at Will. Deep brown eyes framed by thick lashes, a blush dusting his cheeks and his lips pink and full.

"I said… I like you too."

And just like that his heart soared. He marveled at the fact that those three simple words could have such an effect on him. And again their lips crashed against each other. Darkness clashing against light…the effect was electrifying. He felt Nico's numerous wristbands, cold against his neck, and his small hips, soft against his, and his hair brushing against his forehead…and then the doorbell rang.

They snapped back like a rubber band stretched too tight.

They stared at each other. There was a string between them, tying them together and sealed with a kiss. But it was new and strange, marvelous and terrifying all at once.

"You need to eat more." Will blurted out at the same time that Nico said, "Your skin is hot."

Nico felt as if he was flying, usually that would have been a bad feeling, but this was exhilarating.

The door opened and the moment was broken as a tall boy walked in. He had thick reddish hair with strong arms and wide shoulders. Light green eyes and a grin almost as wide as Leo's dominated his face. Except unlike the friendly Latino's smile, this guy's smile looked like it belonged on a shark.

Nico immediately disliked him.

"Hey little bro, Merry Christmas!" The guy hugged Will. They were about the same height and size.

Nico frowned. He distinctly remembered that Will had said that he was an only child. Then he recalled his mother's words. _"Be nice to Henry! He is to be your brother in a couple of months!"_ Ah.

"Merry Christmas, Henry."

Henry turned towards Nico, his smile widening ever so slightly. "And who's this?"

"This is my— Will began until Nico cut him off.

"—friend. Nico di Angelo."

"Pleasure to meet you." He smirked. "I'm Henry, his _older_ stepbrother."

"By 3 weeks. And, it's _soon to be_ stepbrother. The wedding isn't until February." Will corrected.

"Mmmhmm…whatever. Let me go say hi to your mom." Henry stepped out of the room.

Will sighed and reached across to take a cookie off the plate on his desk. He took the last Christmas tree and offered the plate to Nico. He took a ginger bread cookie, and Will winced as the son of Hades bit the smiling cookies head off.

"I can't ever eat the ginger bread ones. The look so happy and cute." Will sighed.

Nico rolled his eyes. Leave it to Will to come up with that one.

"I don't like him." Nico stated bluntly.

Will looked shocked. "The ginger bread man?"

Nico smothered the giggle that threatened to escape. The Ghost King did NOT giggle.

"No…" He swatted him with the pillow that started this whole thing.

Will grinned. "Give him a chance. Maybe he'll surprise you."

"Mmmhmm…" Nico took one of the medical books off his shelf.

 **IgNoRe-Henry stared into his eyes then slowly whispered "….it's good to be squared, baby."—IgNoRe**

Suddenly Will poked his head over the top of the book, grinning a goofy smile.

"What'd you reading about?"

"AIDS."

"How nice."

"Yup."

"You know what? Let's go to the city park. They always put up a huge Christmas tree and the lights are really amazing." His eyes danced with excitement, his smile pulling his lips upward.

"Okay…but um, what about your family?"

"We'll only be gone for a while, and this party will probably last until tomorrow."

"Okay."

Nico allowed himself a small smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**A little cussing in this one, and fluff. :)**

We're his hands sweaty? Cold? Clammy? Was he walking too fast, too slow? We're people staring at them? Yes…they were definitely sweating, and Will was definitely walking faster, people were definitely staring. Will walked along the busy streets of New York, chattering and grinning brightly, oblivious.

Nico was knocked into him, as yet another passerby decided that Nico didn't exist. He jolted back into Will's rock hard chest, and Will's arms instinctively wrapped around him but Nico shoved forwards, suddenly enraged, and shouted,

"Watch it, you asshole!"

"What did you say, faggot?" The guy returned. He had a black, spiked up Mohawk and an impressive collection of face piercings.

"Did you just call me—?"

"Nico!" Strong arms caught him around the waist, actually lifting him off his feet as he took an aggressive step forwards.

"Nico! What are you doing?"

His quiet disapproval made Nico's face burn. Will smiled at the jerk behind him and Nico felt a tinge of irritation, strangely he felt tears pricking at his eyes. He blinked quickly as Will called out a "Merry Christmas!" To the guy that had called him a fag. He hated New York and he hated people and he hated holding hands with Will.

"C'mon the park is just ahead." Will smiled reassuringly and took his hand, but Nico childishly pulled away. He felt one hot tear trail down his cheek and he hurriedly turned away. What was wrong with him? People were staring at him. He felt shame coil like a poisonous snake. Everyone was too close, it was too loud, and Will…Will was mad at him and some guy had just insulted him for something he was still trying to accept, and he was scared and hurt and he didn't have a sword or a monster to kill.

Fight or Flee.

He quickly darted into an alley, slipping through the crowd like liquid silver. Now obscured by the shadows, he closed his eyes and concentrated, thinking of anywhere but here.

"Nico, wait!" Will caught at his arm and he was yanked back into the dirty New York City alley. He spun back into his chest and once again pulled away.

He couldn't do this, be in a relationship. He had been alone way too long, and he believed that there was a reason for that. It was better for him to be alone, for himself, and for other people. Will didn't know what he was getting into, and Nico selfishly went along to what his heart desired. But he couldn't cause pain to others, especially his loved ones, just because he decided to be driven by emotions.

So, slowly, he put up his first brick around his heart.

He scowled at Will, glaring at him. "What do you want?"

Will flinched, and Nico wiped away the stray tear furiously, scratching his face with his ring.

The son of Apollo wasn't one to give up so easily. He stared down at Nico. Nico with a streak of blood on his cheek, Nico with his wet eyes and tear streaked face, Nico with the fury and fear etched into his face. And he couldn't just walk away, or let him go, it was in his blood to heal, and to protect. But more than that still, was the fact that he loved him. The son of Hades who wore an aura of melancholy and made the grass beneath his feet wilt and die, had stolen his heart.

So he pulled him in, sitting on the steps and holding him. He struggled, but he wiped the streak of blood away, kissed away his tears, and slowly…dissolved that wall around his heart.

"I'm sorry…look, I'll take you back home. W-Where do you live?"

Nico sighed. "The closest place would be Camp Half-Blood, can we just go to your place?"

"Sure—

Will wasn't even done replying when he felt a dizzying sensation, like his stomach was plunging down towards his knees. Darkness enveloped them and he felt as if he was falling. When suddenly they appeared in his room. The pastel yellow walls faded into view as the smell of pie flooded his senses. Nico stumbled and placed a hand on the wall to steady himself.

"Damn. I forgot to eat before I did this." He muttered, he glanced at Will who was staring at him in shock.

"Was that…shadow traveling?"

"Yeah."

"C'mon." Will took his arm and dragged him downstairs. His whole family was in the living room, drinking wine and laughing loudly. Will led him towards a table that was full of food.

"Eat."

Nico groaned.

"I'm not hungry."

"I've seen quite a lot of powers, but that must take a lot of energy. Try the pie, it's great." Will sat down next to him while he nibbled on the pie. Casually, he put his arm around his shoulders but Nico stiffened.

"Will, your family."

"It's alright, they're all drunk anyways…and my mom knows."

"Knows?"

"Knows that…I'm gay."

"Oh. How did she react?"

"She kept away from me for a while. But she came around."

"Okay." He took another small bite. "When did you…like, find out?" His face burned.

Will squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"Well…it's kind of a funny story actually. Maybe 3 or 4 years ago, we had a party at the Big House. Well, some fool from the Hermes party spiked the punch." Will grinned at Nico and fiddled with his hair. "Have you ever been to a party where everyone got drunk?"

Nico shook his head. "I tend to avoid people."

Will chuckled, "Well. Lucky for me, I didn't really have a taste for punch. I went to talk to Percy…Percy Jackson, he's your friend right?"

"Uh huh."

"He was totally drunk. Some scrawny Mexican guy was laughing hysterically as the legendary son of Poseidon decided he I looked like his girlfriend. He kissed me, bit my neck. He was strong…I mean, I couldn't push him off. That scrawny guy took a video." Will shook his head, his eyes faraway as if he was lost in him memories. "I have to admit, I was scared. I had pecked some girls on the lips, but nothing serious. And here he was, another boy, shoving his tongue down my mouth, sucking on my neck, and…well, his hands were where they shouldn't be." He blushed slightly. "Finally, Jason son of Zeus came to peel him away. I remember his words were, 'Sorry. He gets a little affectionate when he's drunk.' I was in shock."

Nico blinked and the older boy continued talking hurriedly.

"Well, he left a mark…on my neck." Will scratched his neck as if he could still feel it. "After the Latino guy showed him the video, he came and apologized like a thousand times. He was mortified." He chuckled a little. "And well yeah, everyone asked about the…err, mark. But, I dated and kissed a few girls after that…it wasn't the same."

Nico snorted. "Well, it _was_ Percy Jackson."

Will shot him a strange look. "No, I mean…wait, do you have a thing for—

"NO!" He yelled. People turned to look and he blushed, lowering his voice. "No. I…I d-did."

Will chuckled. "What about you? How did you come out of the closet?" He trailed a finger down his neck. Nico shivered and pressed against him.

"My sister…she found out, told me it was okay, and not to tell anyone."

"Oh…wait, you have a sister?" Will asked, confused.

"Yeah. She's in Elysium." Nico yawned, snuggling against him.

"Oh." He looked down at the younger boy murmuring sleepily next to him. He scooped him up in his arms, and was surprised at how light he was. Climbing up the stairs, he set him down on the edge of his bed. Nico flopped towards him and Will held him up.

"Hey," He held back laughter. "Nico…you need to go to bed, where—

But the Son of Hades, took off his shirt, throwing it at Will and smothering his next words. Then he twisted out of his skinny jeans and fell back towards his bed, completely without opening his eyes. Will blinked, staring at his figure outlined by the moonlight. He was…beautiful. Thin, abnormally so, but muscular from his years of fighting and practice, he supposed. Long white scars decorated his back, the light reflecting off their surface.

"Okay." He pulled the covers over him. He wondered if he should take the wristbands off, they could stop his circulation…but he decided not to. Pulling the extra mattress under the bed, he settled down and slept.


	4. Chapter 4

A high pitched, frantic scream.

Will shot up from bed looking around wildly to see Nico flaying in panic, the baby blue sheets tangling around him as he continued screaming. Will scrambled to his feet, searching for the cause of his unrest and found none. He jumped into bed next to him and was rewarded by a kick and a scream.

"Nico! Wake up!"

The son of Hades wailed as Will pulled him into his lap, cradling him. He whispered soothingly and held him until his eyes flew open. Will knew that he would never forget those screams for as long as he lived…and he never wanted to hear it again.

He panted, eyes darting around like a cornered animal.

"Hey, it's okay…" Will murmured.

Nico whimpered, he dug his hands into Will's bare thighs, he was drenched in sweat and shuddering. Will rubbed circles into his back, stroking his hair away from his face, and rocking him slightly back and forth. He often used this technique on young, traumatized demigods. Finally, Nico calmed, his breathing even and heartbeat steady. He closed his eyes and relaxed against Will.

"I'm sorry." Nico whispered, his throat raw. "I…I had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Will offered him a glass of water. He took it.

"Yeah. I'm sorry—

"Hey, it's okay. Stop apologizing. I'm worried about you… how often do you get nightmare's?"

Nico sighed, running his hand through his damp hair. "Uh… these couple of months, every night. I'm sorry, I should have gone—

"Every night?" Will stared at him. He could see the deep bags under his eyes. "There's medicine for this, I could give you something to help you sleep."

"No. No drugs." He said firmly, his tone implying the discussion was over.

He finally seemed to notice the position he was in. Sitting half naked in Will's lap. He blushed.

Will, as if on cue, said, "You're beautiful."

"How… how did I—

"You fell asleep downstairs…I took you up here and you stripped. Though you should probably take those off…" Will reached for his wrists but Nico snatched his hand away. He turned to look at Will's confused eyes and frowned.

"You're bleeding… did I hurt you?" He reached up touching his jaw and felt a sharp stinging.

"Oh…no, no it's fine." Will reassured but Nico still looked miserable.

"Here." Will tossed him a pillow that had been thrown off in panic. "You need rest."

He caught it, looking down at it hesitantly. "Will!" He blushed, but he forced himself to keep talking. "Would…w-would you sleep with me?"

"Of course."

He slipped under the covers with him, smirking at the redness in the son of Hade's cheeks. Nico gradually lied down next to him, his brown eyes seeming infinite in the darkness. Will pulled him towards him, cuddling. Nico pressed his face on the side of Will's neck, throwing his arm around his waist. And for once, Nico slept peacefully.


	5. Chapter 5

"So… are you two going out?" Piper asked casually, smiling at Nico and Will.

They were already in his mom's car, laughing and talking with one another. Since Frank and Hazel were unable to come, Will had invited Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Nico to go along with him to Florida, which was where his mother had planned to have her wedding. Now they both stared at the daughter of Aphrodite in shock.

"What?" Nico squeaked, then cleared his throat. He was sitting in the back next to Will staring at Piper with a horrified sort of embarrassed look. Piper was in the passenger seat looking past the row of empty seats, to where Will and Nico were sitting.

"Are you dating Will?" She asked again.

"I…uh…me…Will…" He rambled as Will looked at him in amusement.

The past month had been…a strange, yet amazing experience. Nico was beautiful, indescribable, yet reluctant to even hold hands in public. Will loved touching Nico. He loved the color of his skin, the texture, the temperature, the way he reacted…but Nico seemed uncomfortable, almost scared, when Will tried to touch him in front of other people. Once, when they'd gone out for coffee, Will had reached down for a kiss, but Nico had angled his face away, flushing and swallowing nervously. The second time, and the last one, Nico had twisted and pushed against Will's chest when he had tried to hug him from behind. Will, feeling the sting of rejection, had let him go.

The son of Hermes snaked his hand around Nico's thin waist, pulling him towards him. He grinned at her and proclaimed, "Yup. He's dating me."

Nico's eyes widened, he turned towards Will in panic. When he saw Will smiling down at him, he burrowed his head into his jacket…. much like an ostrich would retreat into the sand. Piper squealed, clapping her hands. Nico's fists tightened into his shirt, and Will glanced at the exultant daughter of Aphrodite.

"Um…Piper? Could you keep this quiet for now? I don't think we're ready to tell the others just yet."

She nodded, smiling and crossing her finger over her heart.

Nico relaxed considerably, though in truth, Will was totally ready to shout it from the rooftops. Nico mumbled something into his shirt that sounded like, "Wychootellerr?" Miraculously Will understood it.

"I didn't tell her, she figured it out."

Nico groaned.

"Hey, these are your friends. It will be fine."

Nico peeled himself away from him, slumping against his seat. His tousled hair looked adorable.

"I know."

Will traced the curve of his lower lip. "Are you…" he swallowed. "Are you ashamed? Of me?"

Nico turned towards him, calculating. "Of course not." He placed a cold hand on his cheek. "It's just that, well…I'm a _guy_."

Will laughed in relief, but Nico flushed and glared at him. "I'm serious!" He pushed him away but Will caught his wrist.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry." He pulled him in, kissing him. After only just a few seconds, the son of Hades squirmed out of his grasp. "Quit. The others are coming." Will sighed, a little tired of always hiding. He ran his hand through his hair as the others entered the van. Frowning, he glanced down at his hand and saw a white smudge. But he forgot all about it as a familiar voice called out, joyfully,

"Hey, look Jackson! It's Will Solace!"

Will turned towards Nico. "You invited the scrawny Latino guy?"

Nico looked confused. "Leo?" Then he looked disturbed. "Oh. _That_ scrawny Latino guy."

A tall brunette entered the van. He had striking green eyes and a tanned complexion. "Shut up, Leo." He grinned at Will and he did his best to suppress his flashbacks. "Hey!" Percy hugged him then he saw Nico and his grin widened. "Nikki! Man, I haven't seen you in so long!" He reached across to hug him too.

"Seaweed Brain, get your butt out of my face." Annabeth said.

"Yeah, and get off me." Nico muttered.

"Jeez. Yall don't know how to recognize love." He complained but complied with both requests.

Finally, Jason settled into the driver's seat. "Hey, Neeks. Hi Will."

Will turned towards Nico. "Nikki? Neeks?" He smirked.

"Oh, shut up…Sunshine."

"Is that the best you got, Death Boy?" He returned, teasing.

Nico bit his lip, restraining his laughter, when Leo plopped himself next to them.

"Guess I'm sitting with yall. But stop flirting or I'll throw up." He grinned at them, but Nico blushed and looked away.

"Are we all ready to go?" Jason called out, the blond strapping in his seatbelt.

"Luggage?"

"Yes!"

"Pillows?"

"Yes!"

"Weapons?"

"Yes!"

"Drachmas and mortal money?"

"Yes!"

"Oh wait, no…where's my Nemo?" Percy called out frantically. Annabeth face palmed while everyone else looked at him in confusion.

Nico looked down to see a bright orange blob by his feet. He picked it up and the son of Poseidon grinned. "You found him!"

Jason rolled his eyes and they began their trip towards the great state of Florida.


	6. Chapter 6

"Will, Help! Death himself is sleeping on me!" Leo hissed.

"Thanatos is nowhere near you." Will retorted, but he pulled Nico's sleeping form away from Leo. His head lolled against Will's shoulder, murmuring in his sleep. Nico had tried so hard to remain awake, but he had finally given in and dropped onto Leo. He had asked, no, _ordered_ Will to wake him if he fell asleep. But Nico was so tired, and he hadn't slept in days, so he let him sleep.

Nico groaned and flopped back into Leo's shoulder.

The son of Hephaestus groaned too. "Why?"

Will shrugged. "You're hotter."

He smirked and flipped his imaginary hair over his shoulder sassily. "I know."

"Shut up, Valdez!" Annabeth called as Will grinned at Leo. "Oh, eww. Percy drooled on my leg."

Leo snickered. Will absently caressed Nico's ear as he was used to, but Leo shot him a strange look and he froze.

"Careful. He might look cute now, but he'll bite your fingers off if he catches you."

Will blushed and returned his hand back to his lap. Leo kept on scrutinizing him and Will saw the glint that lived in every child of Hephaestus that drove them to analyze, to fix, and to improve. Now he stared at him as if he was a machine that had something wrong with it, but he just didn't know what.

Nico whimpered, his brow furrowing in his sleep and ruining his peaceful expression.

Leo grinned, looking down at Nico. "Demigod dream! This should be good."

But Will knew better.

"Nico, Nico wake up!"

"No, no, no…don't wake him! It might be something important." Leo scolded.

Suddenly a long eerie wail tore from Nico's lungs, sending shivers crawling up his spine and the hair rising at the back of his neck.

"Never mind. Wake him up, wake him up, wake him up!"

Jason turned, frowning, and pulled out of the road as Percy woke from his slumber.

"Hey…Nico, c'mon hon—

The son of Hades scrambled away from Leo, eyes wide and out of breath. He crawled onto Will's lap and kept going, pressing against the window. He stared at the scrawny boy before him as if he was a monster threatening to eat him, but he acted as if everyone else in the car didn't even exist, and Will was right below him.

"Nico! Calm down, you're okay—

But Nico di Angelo let out a guttural scream and jumped towards Leo, faster than the speed of thought, and stabbed him in the stomach.

Will stared at the bloody scene in front of him. Nico, the boy he loved, bent over his friend, screaming and pushing the blade deep into his flesh. Leo stared up at Nico, his eyes were wide and alight with savage sadistic triumph.

Will froze, but Percy sped from his seat, pulling his boyfriend off and holding him as he screamed. He wrapped his strong arms around his slight body, making him powerless.

"NO! LET GO! STOP!" He howled.

Will's instincts switched on and he scrambled over to Leo, who was pressing down the wound with his hands and staring upward. A small part of his brain acknowledged his boyfriend being removed from the car, still yelling. He felt a slight moment of worry, but he dismissed it. They wouldn't hurt him.

"Hey," He made his voice calm and soothing. "You're going to be alright." But Leo Valdez was not like his usual patients.

He laughed, wincing and giggling at the same time. "I knew he didn't like me, but WOW."

"Leo, stop talking…now. Let me see the wound." He gently pried his hands away from his stomach, they were shaking badly and covered in blood. He placed them over his chest and pulled his Camp Half-Blood T-shirt up. Ironically, the word 'blood' was so covered in… well, _blood_ that it was almost impossible to read. And the word 'half' demonstrated that there was now only _half_ the word left legible—

Okay…ADHD mingling with nervousness was not good.

He stared at the wound.

It was just a little slit. Located below his belly button and barely above the belt. It was a good three inches long, and gushing out blood. It expanded and contracted each time the boy took a breath and exhaled it.

"Oh gods, it hurts. H-Hey…can you tell…tell Calypso—

"Leo, listen to me. You're not going to die."

"Okay."

He gave him ambrosia and placed his hands over the wound. His hands were steady but his voice was shaky as he began chanting. Closing his eyes, his voice grew stronger as the power of Apollo surged through him and into the wound. Leo stared, literally breathless as light traveled down Will's arms and into him. INTO him. His stomach and chest glowed with heat as the wound closed. The light acting like string as it wove the skin together. The sweet taste of the ambrosia faded on his tongue, as did the pain.

Will sat back on his heels. Staring at his work, a.k.a, Leo's stomach.

Leo hesitantly touched the spot, there wasn't even a scar. "Wow…thanks."

"Yeah." Will called over his shoulder as he stumbled out of the van.

It was a clear night, and the stars were numerous. They had stopped in a field of tall grass, and there was no sign of civilization in sight. He didn't even know what state they were in.

"THE MONSTER! THE MONS—

Nico cut off when he saw Will, eyes widening in recognition.

Percy was straddling him, holding down his wrists. A bead of sweat dropped onto the floor. The grass around them was yellow, and there were suspicious skeleton hands poking out of the ground. Jason was sitting next to them, a frustrated look on his face. Piper had tears streaming down her face and she had both hands over her mouth. Annabeth stood a couple feet away, a stony expression on her face.

Piper turned towards him.

"Is he okay?"

Fearing the worst.

"Yeah, yeah…he's fine." She ran towards the van, Annabeth running after her.

"Will." Nico said simply. The murkiness in his eyes was replaced by clarity. Percy released him, falling hard onto the ground next to Jason. He ran towards Will, but stopped just a few feet short, hesitant.

This had happened before, he had woken up in strange situations, not remembering what he had done. It had gotten so bad that Nico had taken Will's advice and taken medicine to help him sleep. But they didn't work. Starting just with high doses of Melatonin, Will had stopped him before he took anything harmful that would prove just as ineffective. Nico had decided just not to sleep, which Will didn't agree to.

Will took the final step and hugged him.

"What did I do?"

He couldn't lie to him.

"You stabbed Leo."

"What?" He stiffened in his arms and pulled away, alarmed.

"He's okay." Will reassured him.

"No…" Nico shook his head. "No… I stabbed a-a…" He fell silent, staring at the ground.

Finally, Will said slowly, "I think you should tell them."

He nodded mutely.

Minutes later they all sat by the van staring at Nico.

"Was it one of those weird spirit thingies that possessed me and Jason in Kansas?" Percy asked Nico, breaking the silence. Nico shook his head.

"No…" He took a deep breath. "Whenever I go to sleep I have…nightmares." He glanced at Will, who nodded encouragingly. "I-I fall into some sort of trance. I get…pointless visions. And when I come to, I have no idea what I did. Leo, I am so sorry. I understand if you want me to leave, I can go—

"Nico. We don't want you to go anywhere. You should have just told us, we would have helped you." Leo said.

"Yes. And now everyone knows you're dating Will." Piper said sadly.

"He's doing what now?" Percy blinked.

"Seriously? I tell you I go into zombie mode and try to kill everyone and all you care about—

"I knew it!" Percy said triumphantly. He turned towards Annabeth who reluctantly slapped a twenty into his open palm.

"What?" Nico asked, utterly confused.

Percy grinned at him. "When you told me I wasn't your," He sniffed. "…your _type_ ," Nico rolled his eyes. "I told Annabeth, 'I bet he's into blue-eyes blondes like Jason.' And I was totally right." He smirked and turned to his girlfriend once again. "You see, I was right. I know his _type_."

Jason stood, grinning. He enveloped Nico into a bear hug. "Congratulations, man. I knew you'd find someone better than _that_ idiot."

"Hey!"

He then hugged Will, a little roughly, and muttered, "If you hurt him, I swear I will—

"Jason!" Nico pulled him away, mortified.

Will laughed.

"Oh no…Annie, my baby is growing up." He carried Nico up from behind. "Soon, he'll be marrying this guy, and frickle-frackling with him, and then having little baby Nico's, and—

"PERCY! OH MY GODS!" Nico yelled, everyone erupted into laughter while he went beet red.

"Put me down before I kill you."

"So Kawaii."

"Oh, I hate you."

Percy dropped him, and he fixed his shirt, glaring at him and still blushing while avoiding Will's eyes. Leo walked up to him awkwardly. "Um…well, I guess I'm sorry for calling you gay when I walked in on you cuddling that teddy bear." He turned towards Will next. "And I'm sorry for just standing there while Percy harassed you. To be honest, I was a little tipsy too. Oh but, do you want to see the video?"

"Um…no."

"Suit yourself."


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: The Monstrumologist, Rick Yancey. You should definitely read it. Amazing writing style, his work is so, so beautiful. It will make you cry, the way this guy looks at things.**

"Do you want to talk about it?"

They had finally arrived at the hotel and now they were all in their bedrooms getting ready for bed. The group had been quite surprised to see the hotel. As soon as they had entered, Percy had exclaimed in awe, "This is bigger than my apartment!" Their dorm had four rooms, two bathrooms, a living room and even a complete kitchen. There was also a balcony overlooking the Florida Ocean. Now Will was sitting on his boyfriend's bed after Nico rejected his attempts to help him unpack. Nico stopped, gripping his T-shirt in his hands.

"A-About the…the nightmare?"

"Yeah."

"It was just a nightmare." He muttered, resuming his unpacking.

"Just a Nightmare?"

Nico froze. Will could see his defenses rising. He knew from experience that maintaining a relationship with Nico was dangerous work. It was like dancing in a minefield blind.

"Look, baby… I'm sorry." He pulled Nico into his lap, who, after a moment, went submissively. Will kissed his neck softly, and after a while, Nico started to speak.

"It was a monster. I swear. I-I didn't want to stab Leo I saw a monster. The man, he called it an anthropophagus, I think. The man, he was beautiful." He glanced at Will, embarrassed.

Now he twisted from his position to look directly at him. He had the look of a serial killer who had been hiding his delicious secret for much too long. Will was slightly afraid.

"It was tall, and strong. Beautiful and grotesque, terrifying, yet exhilarating. It was shaped like a man, except without a head. And on each shoulder, it had an eye. The eye was as big as a baseball, and completely black and empty. Its flesh was pale, and the legs and arms were twisted and powerful, fingers extending into claws…but the most marvelous thing was its mouth. A gaping maw lined with long, thin needle-like teeth."

Nico looked searchingly at Will, but he was careful to maintain his expression blank.

"The man said that since it didn't have a head, its brain was located below the mouth. And you know what else? The female doesn't have a womb so she has to—

"Nico." Will stopped him. He sensed he was about to step on that minefield.

"This…this isn't real. T-The anthropopi or whatever doesn't exist, neither does the man, right?"

Nico stared at him. "You think I'm crazy."

"No, Nico I just want to—

"I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING HELP!"

Boom.

The son of Hades tore away from him. Wild, angry and hurt. Will immediately caught at his wrists, forcing him in a gentle embrace. He struggled, hitting him. Will knew he would definitely have some bruises after this, but none as painful as the one he would have if he let Nico stay angry at him.

"Nico. Nico. Nico, I'm sorry, I am so sorry."

He pressed Nico against him, rubbing his back and feeling the knobs of his spine against his knuckles. Gradually he stopped fighting and only his fast breaths could be heard.

"Why? Why don't you just leave me?" Nico asked plaintively.

"Because I love you."

Instead of saying those words back, or smiling, the son of Hades turned into his shoulder and cried. It broke his heart to see his body shaking, or feel his hot tears on his skin, to hear the despair that wailed out of this broken angel.

Will's angel, his angel of despair.


	8. Chapter 8

"Wake up, sleepyheads! The waves are calling us!"

Will rose from his bed, stretching and feeling incredibly rested. He looked down to see a familiar sweet looking boy sleeping peacefully next to him. He stroked his head gently, messing up his curls even more.

"Nico…"

He purred like a cat, stretched luxuriously, and then sat up sleepily.

"Hey." Will said, smiling widely.

"Ugh." The son of Hades took his pillow to smother him with it. "It's _way_ too early to smile."

"Hey!" Will cried as he fell back. Nico slipped off the bed and retreated into the bathroom while Will scrambled to regain his balance. Definitely not a morning person.

After a few minutes, they all went to the kitchen where Percy was making pancakes. Luckily, Annabeth was helping so the hotel didn't catch on fire or the cabinets suddenly exploded. Oh wait, forget about the hotel not catching on fire. Piper called out panicked-like towards Percy, who rushed to Leo's room. Once the flames were properly extinguished, a much shaken looking Piper, a triumphant Percy, and a sheepish Leo exited the room.

Nico was glaring at Jason who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"What?!" He said finally.

"You look like a blond librarian, that's what." Nico grumbled.

"Excuse me?"

Nico reached across the table and pushed up Jason's glasses with one finger. The table burst into laughter as Jason blushed and stammered.

"So what's our schedule?" Annabeth asked after everyone had regained their breath.

"We go to the beach!" Percy cried happily.

Everyone muttered in agreement except for Nico. Will watched him out of the corner of his eye, he was picking at his uneaten pancakes and looking exceptionally glum. As everyone changed and got ready, Will turned towards his boyfriend.

"You okay?" he asked him quietly.

"I'm fine."

"Okay…you gonna get ready?"

"I'm not getting in." his stinginess gone.

"Aw, c'mon. It'll be fun!"

"I-I don't know how to swim." He protested.

"We'll stay in the shallow end."

Nico looked at his hopeful face and sighed. He could never win against that face.

"Okay."

"Yay!" Will kissed him hurriedly then went to change. And that is how Nico di Angelo agreed to get in the ocean.

Now standing at the edge of the ever reaching waves, Nico regretted it immensely. The waves were a crystalline blue mixed with bright ocean green, Percy standing next to it looked like he had a bit of the Gulf of Mexico in his eyes. He ran and dived into the ocean, Jason and Leo laughing and following him in. Piper and Annabeth were on the towels, talking and tanning. Even Will, with his hair shining brightly and his bronze skin practically glowing and perfectly sculpted abs looked as if he fit right in the gorgeously colored waves and white sand. Nico, on the other hand, was only a few shades darker than the sand itself. Wearing his black swimming trunks and equally dark T-shirt, he looked very out of place.

"C'mon." Will grinned at him and waited. Nico waited for a unicorn to come and spear him through, but nothing happened. **(Damn you, Bracken)** He sighed, slipping off his shirt and reluctantly setting it down next to the girls. He felt Will's eyes on him and scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest self-consciously.

 **I'm sorry readers and beautiful reviewers, but I will NOT be continuing this story. I'm giving my baby up for adoption, :'( it's not that I don't want it, I LOVE YOU! But I must. I'll be looking for suitable writers who want it. PM me…. We'll talk.** **J**


	9. Chapter 9

**It's been a pretty hard time, right now in my miserable life, so… a million thanks to everyone one of you. I cannot tell you how much, your appreciation meant. I'M GOING TO CRY!**

Now standing at the edge of the ever reaching waves, Nico regretted it immensely. The waves were a crystalline blue mixed with bright ocean green, Percy standing next to it looked like he had a bit of the Gulf of Mexico in his eyes. He ran and dived into the ocean, Jason and Leo laughing and following him in. Piper and Annabeth were on the towels, talking and tanning. Even Will, with his hair shining brightly and his bronze skin practically glowing and perfectly sculpted abs looked as if he fit right in the gorgeously colored waves and white sand. Nico, on the other hand, was only a few shades darker than the sand itself. Wearing his black swimming trunks and equally dark T-shirt, he looked very out of place.

"C'mon." Will grinned at him and waited. Nico waited for a unicorn to come and spear him through, but nothing happened. He sighed, slipping off his shirt and reluctantly setting it down next to the girls. He felt Will's eyes on him and scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest self-consciously.

He sighed, looking at the waves distrustfully. As they reached for him and crashed violently against the sand at his feet, he suddenly felt a huge _wave_ of regret. He stepped back and almost tripped in the soft sand.

"Um…Will? Actually, I'll go back to the hotel and I can wait for you back—

"Oh no you don't." Will muttered gruffly in his ear, and he was suddenly, literally, swept off his feet. Nico's heart stopped as the Son of Apollo ran into the waves, throwing his head back and laughing as they were suddenly in waist-deep.

"Will solace! You take me back right now!" Nico cried in what he would later recognize as a shrill voice, but right now he didn't care. Instead of trembling in fear and obediently returning the Prince of Death back to the shore, the idiot instead grinned wildly.

"Aw, baby don't tell me you're afraid of a little water." He grinned.

He set him down. And before Nico could reply, a huge wave knocked into both of them. Nico had just a spilt second to marvel at its height and extravagant color before he fell to the ground. His eyes and mouth opened in shock and the harsh salty ocean flowed into him like a desperate lover. And instead of slowing and giving him time to recover as the ocean did in time between waves, the accursed water dragged him with unexpected strength. He trashed and fought in the water against his better reasoning, panic coursing through his veins.

He screamed, in mindless, silent, blind-panic.

Just when Nico thought Thanatos was going to pay him a visit, strong arms wrapped around his chest and lifted him from the watery embrace into a much more solid, and hard hold. After what felt like hours under water, resurfacing was overwhelming. When he had started to black out, he felt a sense of peace that turned his limbs into lead and his will to live nothing but a flimsy idea. But now he felt his body suddenly lurch and rudely banish all the water from his lungs, coughing and sputtering. His senses jolted back into function. Heat of the sun on his back as he bent forwards, the breeze ruffling his hair slightly, two arms on his midriff holding him in place as he gagged, the detestable sound of waves and seagulls and his own desperate noises, and his eyes burning with salt as he tried to look.

"Breathe, you're okay, breathe…that's it. Slowly. You're okay."

Percy. It was Percy Jackson holding him. Okay, so his brain was working. Good. Still sounding like an abused animal, he found that he was digging his almost nonexistent nails into his tanned, muscled arms. He bit them, out of his anxiety and the ragged uneven surface had left a number of scratches on the son of Poseidon's arms. He quickly let go of him and worked to steady his breathing, his face flushed.

Turning to look at his friend, he finally realized where they were. Standing in the middle of the ocean. He could see the coast off in the distance but somehow the spot in which they were standing was undisturbed by the ocean's movement. The water was calm and still in a perfect circle around them, as if they were surrounded by glass walls.

Feeling the pain in his nose and throat, and the perpetual ache in his body overall, he asked Percy what the hell had happened. Except it sounded more like this,

"Uuhnrggs?" A mix between a whimper and a strangled choke.

Luckily, the not-so-idiot-who-had-probably-just-saved-his-life understood.

"You got pulled in by riptide." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's like sort of a current that pulls you in…it's deadly actually." He frowned at Nico. "You could have died! You're supposed to hold your breath and relax until it releases you! Why couldn't—

Before Percy could continue with his rant, Nico was suddenly crushed against yet another, more enthusiastic, body. He stumbled, but didn't fall, due to the death grip.

"Oh my gods, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico…I'm so sorry, my baby, are you okay?" It was Will. Obviously. Who else would have the nerve to call him, the Ghost King, baby? Nico fought down the urge to cry as his irritating boyfriend rocked them back and forth. Never mind that Nico was pressed against his chest.

Percy cleared his throat. "I extracted the water from his lungs. He…he should be fine." He grinned crookedly at them. Nico blushed and detached himself from Will.

"Yeah. I'm fine. This…this never happened." He muttered. Avoiding their eyes.

"Dude. It's nothing to be embarrassed about! A lot of people die because of that. You're lucky." Percy reassured.

"Shut up."

"Your welcome, Neeks. I love you too." Percy said sarcastically.

Nico reddened and his gaze fell on the thin scratches on Percy's arms. There were even some on his chest and shoulders.

"Percy…I—

"No, don't apologize. It'll make me feel weird. Plus, you would have done the same. Now go enjoy the beach and your boyfriend…oh. That sounded wrong."

The son of Poseidon shot them yet another stupid grin and descended below the waves, disappearing at once. Nico cringed as a powerful wave exploded against them now that Percy had gone. He clung to Will who was facing Nico so that the worst of the waves hit him. Somehow, he remained stable. Gods, Nico was such a stupid coward. He HATED the ocean. Possibly more than he hated Tartarus. At least there was some honor in being a wuss in there, out here in the ocean it was just pathetic.

"Do you want to go back to the hotel?" Will asked.

Nico looked up at him, sure that he looked horrible. Will on the other hand looked gorgeous, a brilliant silhouette against a brilliant sun. The only thing ruining his perfect features was the look of sickening guilt on his face, like someone was physically twisting a knife into his side.

"No, you stay here. I'll go back."

"Nico—

"Will, I'm _fine_. It's not your fault, I'm an idiot." It was the wrong thing to say.

The son of Apollo hugged him. "You are not an idiot. You heard Percy, it happens to everyone."

"That is _so_ not what he said. Just stay here. I'll be fine."

Will touched his forehead against his and Nico didn't even notice the wave that crashed against them.

"But I don't want to be here if I'm not with you…

… I don't want to be _anywhere_ without you."

 **IM SORRY I TOOK SO LONG. I PROMISE IM NOT DEAD. It's just that this story is so important to me, and it's** ** _so_** **hard to come back to it after I left it. A million heartfelt thanks to all of you who cared enough to tell me to continue, I love you. *dissolves in a puddle of mush***


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: The Marbury Lens, by Andrew Smith. A strange and beautiful little book about a traumatic experience and its effect. Paints a nightmarish, yet so painfully realistic picture of reality.**

They were having fun.

Percy cutting through the waves like a deathly shark. Or an exceptionally skilled baby seal. Jason laughing and splashing Leo. Leo ducking under water to escape the blonde's attacks. Will crying out as a fish hit him in the face. Followed by the son of Poseidon's laughter.

"You okay?"

He blinked.

Annabeth was looking at him expectantly. He smiled and nodded. She smiled back, but

Nico could tell she was unconvinced.

"Do you want to do something?"

Nico had been playing with the warm white sand that was just at the edge of the towel he was sitting on. He had finally managed to convince his reluctant boyfriend to go back into the water. Well, Percy had managed to convince him. By throwing defenseless sea creatures at him. It had seemed rather cruel, but Percy had assured Nico that life under the ocean in Florida was boring. Being thrown at a semi-naked blond was the most fun they have had in months.

(The last was a particularly violent hurricane. Who knew fish were such adrenaline junkies?)

He had assured Will that he would be just fine sitting here with the girls, and lied that he really did not want to go inside after all.

"Don't you want to go swim?" He asked her, puzzled. Why go to the beach unless you wanted to go swim?

"Not really. Piper won't go in with me and I think there is still an octopus in Will's hair." The daughter of Athena was sitting next to him, her legs stretched out in front of her while she leaned back to look at the sky. Piper was exposing her back to the sun and resting her face on her hands. She cracked open an eye lid to look at Nico.

"I'm on my period and the constant destruction of my would-be children is very depressing. I really don't want to do anything."

Annabeth laughed while Nico blushed.

"Oh, c'mon. I think I saw some stores on the other side of the hotel. You want to go check them out?"

"Shopping? Let's go." The daughter of Aphrodite sat up suddenly and stretched. Nico noticed how many people turned to look at them. He had a feeling it wasn't because of the sudden movement.

"I thought you said you didn't want to do anything?" Nico teased.

She placed a hand on her chest, acting offended. "My dear Nico, shopping isn't just _anything_."

She stood and reattached her flimsy little skirt thing to her wait. Nico didn't really know what it was called, but at least it gave the idea of decency, and it covered much of her butt over her bathing suit. Annabeth in turn only slipped on her beach dress and helped Nico up. The girls looked amazing, and they were so confident, yet so oblivious. Now, oblivious wasn't something you called these girls unless you wanted to get stabbed and chucked off the roof, but how could they not notice the hungry, predatory, and admiring eyes that seemed to be glued to them only?

They picked their way through children and castles and sleeping men and tanning woman. He was thinking of how nice the sea breeze felt running through his hair, and marveling at the feeling of the warm sand beneath his feet, and thinking that perhaps the ocean wasn't such a bad place when a rather tall boy walked up to them.

Nico soon recognized him as Henry. Will's stepbrother. He was heavily muscled, wearing a pair of green swimming trunks and rather attractive, now that Nico got a good look at him. He reminded Nico a little bit of Percy, except his smile that is. It was still the ferocious sneer of a shark.

Nico was about to call out a polite greeting, until Henry's hand got lost in the billowing fabric of the backside of Annabeth's dress.

The words died in his throat and were replaced by bile. But before Nico could even take a step towards them, Annabeth had Will's brother on the floor and wide-eyed with pain, but grinning delightedly nonetheless. Nico remembered when Annabeth had done the same to her boyfriend, but then her eyes had been filled with anger and passion and love, now, those stormy-grey eyes only held disgust.

"Damn…These your girls, Nico? You must be doing something right."

Henry winked at him and Nico scowled at him. "Get lost."

Annabeth released him and they continued walking.

"Wait, what's your name blondie? What about you, braids? We should go out sometime. You can even bring your scrawny boyfriend if you want. I don't discriminate in bed."

Piper seemed to mimic Nico's scowl. "Go drown yourself!"

Nico halted in his tracks. Some part of his brain knew it was charmspeak, but he just wanted to run to that ocean and drown himself. Why wouldn't he want that crystalline water inside of him? To fill his mouth with the bitter salt of the ocean? Let himself inhale it and become one with something greater than himself? Before he even knew what was going on, he was stumbling towards ocean. What had once seemed so revolting, now held all the appeal in the world.

"NICO! No, wait!" the powerful persuasive tone of the daughter of Aphrodite once again stopped him.

What was going on? Clarity rushed into his head and he blinked. He had seemed to be so close to the ever-reaching waves, but in reality he was only a couple of steps away from the girls. Piper's target was standing in the midst of pedestrians and looking around in confusion.

"Ohmygods Nico, I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking, usually I have control over my voice but I was just so annoyed and I just spoke without thinking, Ohmygods I almost killed you, why—

"Hey. It's okay. No harm done." He quickly reassured.

She frowned. Her hand immediately flying to grab her braid pensively.

"But…I don't understand…. You should have been able to resist that, it was almost like, well…"

Nico frowned at her. He knew the girls were a bit shaken up, and so was he.

"Let's go. Shopping, right?"

His earlier worries about their attire not being appropriate for streetwear were quenched. They fit right in with the rest of Florida. Woman walking half dressed, guys without a shirt, a number of random people on motorcycles and in weird little toy cars called out greetings and random compliments.

"Y'all look great!"

"Sweet mama!"

"Welcome to Florida!"

"Nice abs, sweetheart!"

"Monkeys are real and coconuts do not have children!"

Nico blinked at the whizzing cars and waving people on the sidewalks. He really should be used to this, he used to live in New York for Zeus's sake. But he liked to think that his was a more conservative city. Polite and well-mannered people bustling around and minding their own business. Well, and the random rude jerk that calls you out and makes you angry in public. Annabeth tore him out of his unpleasant memories of his time in the city.

"Hey…how did you know that guy? Henry, was it?"

Nico fixed his eyes on Percy's girlfriend. She truly _was_ gorgeous. She currently had her blond locks tumbling down her bare shoulders, and her beach dress seemed to be held up only by a single string that went around her neck. There was a cute little wood circle on her chest that the string wound around and the color was a light cerulean that faded into a dark blue. There was sea creatures swimming around in her dress and of course they were labeled in Latin. It was cut short to mid-thing and it showed off her muscled, yet feminine, legs.

Piper was going for a much more relaxed look. Wearing only a purple bikini for a top, she looked as stunning as Annabeth. (Perhaps more, but don't tell her that) She had a small transparent skirt that she had tied around her waist. It was a different shade of purple, and her hair was currently braided and let down.

"Neeks? Are you sure you're okay?"

He blinked at the blond. What? He suddenly turned red. Had he been staring at her while he thought? Now she surely though he was a freak.

"I…um…what? Yes. Yes, I'm okay. Henry is just a guy I met at Will's house. Do you think Will would like this…this thing?" He picked up the nearest object and held it up for inspection. They had just entered a gift shop that was bustling with tourists and they had agreed to buy things for the boys that were still messing around in the ocean.

"Um…a bag of dead baby seahorses?"

He inspected the object in his hand. It was, indeed, a bag of dead babies. They were each the size of his fingernail and were a dull yellowish color. He found that the way that the tip of their noses, (snouts?) touched the end of their little curly tails was sort of endearing.

"Well, I think they're sort of cute."

"Of course you would find dead animals cute." Piper yelled from across the store.

"Apparently so does Will. All he says is, 'Gods Nico, you're so cute!" Annabeth said gleefully.

"Did you just call me a dead animal?" They laughed. "I thought only guys insulted each other all day." He grumbled, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

After many discussions and mild arguments, they finally had the items that they would buy for the boys. (Err…the _rest_ of the boys) Nico had quit on the idea of giving anyone dead things, but he had secretly bought, and taken the seahorses with him. They headed back towards the hotel. They considered going back to look for them, but it was getting dark and they decided that they would have enough sense to come back on their own. Or at least Will and Jason would.

Annabeth swiped their key, and they entered. Only Will Solace awaited them. He had changed into a pair of shorts and an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. His hair was still damp and calm, in contrast to Nico's win-blown hair. He turned from his task and grinned.

"Finally! Where were you? Oh. Shopping." He smiled at the bags in their hands. "We were going to make cupcakes at Percy's insistence." Dusting his hands of the flour for emphasis.

"Where are they?" Annabeth asked as Nico went in for a kiss. His boyfriends grin widened.

"Oh, they're taking a shower."

Piper plopped down on the couch, remote in hand. "But there is only two bathrooms."

"Uh huh. Jason and Percy are sharing."

Annabeth chocked. "What?"

Nico blinked and stared at Will, sure he'd heard wrong. But no, he was smirking at them. Piper stared, speechless. Will laughed quietly.

"There's a shower and a bathtub in there, so they're obviously not sharing- _sharing_. They're not _that_ gay." He winked at Nico, who frowned at him. "Oh, c'mon. It's not like Jason and Percy are going to suddenly decide they don't want a girlfriend anymore and hook up with one another." Will cocked his head, throwing his arm around Nico's shoulder and looking thoughtful.

"That'd be hot, tho."

Piper made a gagging noise and Annabeth threw a cushion at him while Nico laughed and shoved him off the couch. As soon as he fell, the restroom doors open simultaneously and the oven bell rang.

"What's hot?" Percy asked immediately.

"Me." Replied Leo, striking a weird pose.

"Why's Will on the floor?" Jason said, shooting the other blond a puzzled look.

"Nico's getting it on, that's why." Percy grinned knowingly.

"Getting what on?" Nico said aloud.

"The cupcakes are ready!" Will announced and sprang towards the kitchen. He shot Percy a dirty look. Percy looked at him, eyebrows raised. Just as Nico was beginning to wonder what the hell was going on, Percy conceded. He blew out an exasperated breath and turned his eyes heavenward. The son of Poseidon kneeled in front of him and took his hands in his.

"Nico…do you know what 'sex' is?"

"JACKSON!" Will tackled him.

They laughed and Nico blushed. Were they laughing at him? Making fun?

His throat tightened.

"I do." They didn't hear him. "I _do_ know."

They stopped laughing and Will's smile faded. He stared at him.

"Oh… Nico, we weren't—

But Nico stood, his face burning.

"I don't care."

"Neeks…" Percy began.

"It's fine, whatever."

He quickly walked towards the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Why did he have to ruin everything? And just because he didn't know what Percy was talking about didn't mean he was stupid, or innocent, or whatever. Would Will like him less? It didn't matter. Will wouldn't care. And it wasn't like Nico wanted to…well, to have… _that_. Or at least not right now, and not with— Ugh.

He ran his fingers through his hair and jumped when someone knocked on the door.

"Nico?" It was Will. "You okay?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"Well…c'mon. It's getting late, come to bed."

"Uh huh."

He fixed his stare on a rubber boot that hung on the wall. It was part of a variety of random objects that were arranged on a fishing net as a decoration. He stared as Will's footsteps receded into the distance, and until he saw the lights go out in the hallway. Slowly he opened the door and headed towards the room he shared with Will. Nico closed the door and then proceeded to stare at Will's sleeping form. He sighed…quietly.

He slipped in next to him, and Will instantly turned to face him.

Nico's mouth grew dry.

"Nico…baby, I'm sorry. Percy was just trying to make sure you were safe, and we were talking about it, I didn't want to make you feel bad."

"It's fine." Nico insisted.

"It's not. Look, I don't care if you don't want to…take the next step—

"But…we can't." Nico said slowly. He could barely make out the outline of his face, the twinkle in his eyes. "You're…I mean, _we're_ … _guys_."

He felt his face reddening as Will stared at him, his face unreadable. But Will suddenly brought him close, kissing him firmly despite his half-hearted protests. Nico melted into the kiss, comfortable in this rhythm of lips. But there was something else in this kiss, something more…predatory.

His boyfriend suddenly climbed over him, straddling Nico's hips with his legs. He let out a shocked cry as his weight settled on him, but Will was quick to react, his lips moving down on his neck, and Nico gasped. That…That felt…

"Will! W-Wait…" He pushed against him with a trembling hand. Will complied, settling down next to him, his lips still on his neck.

"Doesn't matter, Nico." He felt, rather than saw, him smile. "We can still make love. If we couldn't…then I guess a lot less guys would be gay." He chuckled.

"I…" All Nico knew about sex was what his sister had told him, (which wasn't a whole lot) and what the guys had said around camp, and even then they talked in a weird sort of lingo, like, "getting it on," and "poppin' the cherry". The truth was that he didn't know a whole lot. He _had_ thought about it, but every time he did, his face would heat up and he would distract himself with something else.

He stared at Will. He looked sleepy, smiling tenderly, and Nico tentatively smiled back. Will would never hurt him.

"I love you, baby."

"I love you, too."

 _My ankle hurt._

 _My kidnapper was standing in front of me. The stun gun at his side. Pain ran through my body drenched in sweat. My hands were trembling uncontrollably and I wished for the millionth time that I had something more to wear other than my underwear._

 _If only I had stayed at the party._

 _If only I hadn't gotten drunk._

 _If only I hadn't let the so called doctor take me home._

 _"_ _I'll tell you what we're going to do, Jack."_

 _Jack? Jack. I'm Jack._

 _He pushed the leg of my underwear high up, swabbing my skin with alcohol, and then I felt the sting as he stabbed the needle into the muscle._

 _"_ _Don't worry," he said. "It's just going to make you calm down. That's all. Just calm down."_

 _He rubbed his finger over the spot where he'd injected me. Then he licked my leg, slowly, and I felt like I would throw up when I felt his teeth and tongue against my skin. But there was nothing in me._

 _"_ _Try to calm down Jack. I need you to roll onto your stomach now. Do that." He pushed insistently against my shoulder._

 _"_ _No. Leave me alone."_

 _"_ _Jack?" He stroked the stun gun across my throat._

 _I couldn't take that again. I began to turn over on the bed, and he pushed me down. I tried to pretend this wasn't happening, that I was outside, somewhere else. Then his other hand slid down my back, and pulled my underwear away. When he got them down over my feet so I could feel the soft weight of them hanging loose on the connected chain of zip ties, he pushed my knees apart. Something cold and slick—like jelly—squeezing out onto my thighs. His hand slid up between my legs and rubbed. I tried crawling away from his hand but I was stuck there. I didn't care anymore. It was my fault._

 _I felt myself drifting away…_

Nico woke,

And threw up.

 **Well, I don't think I did the book justice. But trust me, it's brilliant. Tell me what you thought! And I there's anything you want to see happen, I'll try to weasel it in. And again, I suck. I'm terrible, I'm not even going to ask for forgiveness. XD**


	11. Chapter 11

Will Solace held his boyfriend up as he retched what little he'd eaten. Nico flushed the toilet and relieved Will of his duty by leaning on the sink, his face hidden.

"Are you ill?"

"No…just a nightmare." His voice sounded flat.

"Do you want a shower?"

Silence. Then, "Yes, please."

Will hurried to turn on the showerhead, and turn the water to lukewarm. When he returned from getting Nico's towel and some clothes, he was already in the shower, the curtain drawn, and silent.

"I'll leave your things here."

A pause. "Thank you."

Something cold and nasty settled in his throat as he closed the bathroom door. His tone, it was dead, lifeless. He hadn't even looked at Will, and he talked to him as if he was a stranger, with that empty politeness. He stared at the door and jumped when he heard a voice.

"Is he okay?"

It was Percy, standing there with Riptide in pen form in his hand. He had concern etched all over his face.

"He…he threw up. Said he had a nightmare. Again."

Seconds later, Jason and Leo walked in, and the girls.

It was weird, they hadn't been loud this time, Nico hadn't woken up screaming, and Will didn't have to yell to be heard. But this time they were all here, awake and worried. Perhaps they felt that this time was different, somehow sensed what Will did; that something was terribly wrong.

They all sat on their bed. Will knew he should tell them to go get some rest, but he really had no right. They were worried about their friend. He didn't think Nico realized how important he was to them.

After a while, Percy spoke up. He never could keep quiet for very long.

"You should go check on him. He's not doing anything."

They stared. "What?"

"I mean; he's just kneeling there. Doing nothing."

"You can see him?!" Jason asked sharply.

Percy blushed. "What? No. I can…sense him. Sort of."

"Dude. That's creepy."

"Says the guy that can burst into flames."

Annabeth interrupted the two boys. "Is he breathing?"

Now it was her turn to be stared at.

Will stood suddenly and opened the bathroom door. Why would she say that? His heart pounded loudly in his chest.

"Nico?"

The door closed behind him. Maybe they were used to their friends dying all the time. With being the Heroes of Olympus and all that. Okay, that wasn't fair. He knew they weren't like that.

"Will."

"Nico…are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to get out?"

"No."

"Are you almost done?"

"No."

Will sat on the toilet lid and waited. Staring at the blue curtain that separated them. He couldn't hear anything but the water slamming cruelly against the tub.

"Please come out."

"Will, I'm fine. Go to sleep."

Nico had never spoken to him like that. Not even when Will was surely being annoying. Never snapped at him like that no matter what he said. But even more than that, he had never heard his boyfriend speak like that. So…emotionless.

Dead.

"Okay."

But it wasn't okay. He wanted to rush in there and hold him closely, kissing him and telling him how much he loved him and that everything was going to be alright. He stood and closed the door behind him. To his surprise, though he really shouldn't be, they all stared up at him expectantly. He shook his head as an answer.

There was a collective sigh.

Then the son of Poseidon stood and marched behind him.

"Percy, maybe you shouldn't—

The bathroom door slammed behind him.

Nico stared down at the tiny fish someone had painted on the white tiles of the bath. He had worked very hard to clear his head from thinking, and his heart from feeling until his hands had stopped shaking and his breath returned to normal.

He had done this in Tartarus.

When the monsters had all finished trying to kill him and he had dragged his sorry carcass back under a gnarled, dead tree, when all he had to look at was burning sulfur and creatures as they burst from the ground like blisters, this was all he could do to stop himself from losing whatever shred of humanity he had left.

He was okay.

'Okay' was a loose term.

He was totally okay.

Not that he cared right now.

And Nico would have continued not caring as the small beads pelted him relentlessly, but the door opened again.

Was it Will again? He hoped not. It was hard not caring when he was around.

But no, it wasn't Will. Because right then the curtain flew open and a two strong arm took his own and pulled him to his feet. And just like that, he was thrown into the world of caring.

"P-P-Percy…w-what…"

"Geez, Neeks, you're freezing."

Percy Jackson set him down in front of him in all his naked glory. Dripping and trembling once again. To his utter horror, his knees buckled and Percy caught him. Chuckling.

"Hahaha, your lips are blue."

"Percy! I'm—

His face was burning as the idiot, oblivious to his embarrassment, pressed Nico against him with an arm around his waist as his other arm reached for the towel. Nico wanted to push him away, but he was afraid he would fall. And _gods_ , he'd never been _completely_ naked before _anyone_ since he was too young to remember. But here was Percy, his former crush pulling Nico against him, way too close for comfort and acting like this was completely normal.

"Is this your towel? It's pink…so it's probably not, but I'm not one to judge…"

He'd fantasized about being with Percy ever since he met him. And yes, blooming into his teenage years with nothing but daydreams had made those fantasies not exactly appropriate. He remembered sitting on a bench in a park after hours and finding out that those fantasies made him feel good. Not just emotionally, but physically too. But he'd stopped, ashamed. And this was not a good time reminisce those daydreams.

"This one?"

"Percy, just give me a towel!"

"Fine, fine, no need to get snappy." But he was smiling as he wrapped the towel around his shoulders. He sat him down carefully on the edge of the tub, as if he was a child, or a really old man. Percy sat on the toilet lid, facing him with hands clasped and looking at Nico seriously. This made the Son of Hades feel quite ridiculous.

"Your hair is all wet."

Before Nico could protest Percy was rubbing a separate towel on his head.

"Seriously? Couldn't you just use your powers?" Nico scowled at him.

"Yeah." He admitted. "But you look so cute with your hair sticking up all over the place." Nico scowled again, blushing, and Percy grinned.

"Well…I-I should get dressed."

"Uh huh." Percy said, and the smile melted off his face, replacing it with concern. "What happened? Did you have another nightmare?"

Nico pulled the towel tighter around his shoulders, wishing it was longer. He stared down at his knees.

"…Yes."

His friend put a hand on Nico's knee. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Nico found that he was more willing to talk to Percy than to Will. Perhaps it was because Nico had already made a fool of himself many times in front of Percy, or because he wasn't as afraid of losing Percy as he was of losing Will, or maybe simply because Percy was a dork. Either way, his lips opened.

"I-I yes. I'm sorry. It was too much, I'm sorry, I was just so embarrassed and I didn't want Will to look at me, and then I felt so disgusted and sick, a-and dirty, and I just couldn't—

Percy hugged him, giving him a second to collect himself.

"I think…I was…. raped."

The arms around him stiffened.

"WHAT? DID WILL—

"Percy, no!" His face reddened and he lowered his voice, glaring at Percy who sat back down obediently. "I-In my dream."

"Oh." Percy still had that concerned look on his face, but without the shock, leaving only alarm.

"My name was… Jack. And I was drunk, walking home from some party, when I guess a guy offered to give me a ride." Nico paused, wishing he could turn off his emotions again. "H-He tied me down… on… on a bed, a-and he had a… a gun." He gritted his teeth and willed himself to stop his voice from trembling. Percy had his hand on his back, waiting patiently.

"Taser gun. Yes. It hurt. He injected me. Drugs or something. And then he…well, he put something on my…on my…" He stopped, looking at Percy uncomfortably. Percy seemed to understand and hugged Nico again, his head against the taller boys' chest.

"Back or front?"

Nico reddened. "Back." He whispered.

"Did he touch…. Jack?"

"He… he did. B-But then I woke up."

"Have you ever seen the guy that gave Jack a ride before?" Percy's tone was calm, but the muscles in his arms were tight, his jaw above his head tense. He was angry.

But why? Was he angry at him?

"...No."

"Okay. Did he tie Jack's arms?" it seemed Percy was trying to emphasis on Jack. To convince Nico it happened to somebody else. But how was that supposed to make him feel better when _he_ had been going through it too? He could still feel the man's hand rubbing between his legs…

"No. Only his ankle. I was drugged." Nico extended his left leg and they both looked down at it, as if reassuring themselves there wasn't a rope or a chain of some sort.

But what they saw instead made Percy freeze and Nico feel a cold sliver of dread somewhere deep in his chest.

Around his ankle was something impossible to miss, and yet they had.

It was a scar, red and raw, only beginning to scar over. Nico pulled down the towel a bit to see two huge purple bruises on his chest and side.

"Nico. Calm down. Will can heal it." Percy sounded as if he was truly trying to get _himself_ to calm down. Nico had actually been quite calm himself until Percy said that.

"No! You can't tell Will. Some ambrosia-

"Nico. You _have_ to."

"Please Percy, don't… don't tell anyone."

"How are you going to hide that?!" The son of Poseidon looked a bit hysterical and Nico found it easier to deal with Percy's hysteria than his own rising panic.

"Percy you can't tell them!"

"Nico—

"Percy…. please!" Nice felt the tears he had been holding back flood to his eyes. He tried to raise his hand to wipe his eyes, but then returned it to grip his towel.

"Okay, okay, okay…" Percy hugged him again. "But…. We have to fix this. Promise you'll go with me to find help."

"Yes."

"Now go be nice to Will. He was worried sick about you."

"Okay."

"But don't fall asleep."

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 **Heyyyyy cupcakes.** **J** **I just want to let you know that your reviews mean a lot to me. I literally read them out loud to my siblings and re-read them when I'm sad. (I know. I am pathetic) But! My lord Nitro...* bows and grovels a bit*I know it wasn't exactly what you wanted, but hey, you got your Pernico moment! (and there shall definitely be more).**

 **And… my lady, never pardon your fancy talk! For this manner of speaking is only for those of us that read gorgeousness like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare and other old guys with wigs.**

 **Bye. Wombats!**


	12. Chapter 12

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"I think Will left your sleep clothes around here somewhere… oh? You let your girlfriend chose your pajamas, this should be good…wait who's the girl in the relationship?"

"Percy…don't…"

"I would think it would be you, but I don't know Will can be pretty girly sometimes and you can be so damn scary…"

"Percy."

"Okay, okay… I'm sorry I talk a lot when I'm nervous."

Nico smiled at Percy, but it felt a bit forced, so he stopped. Percy triumphantly threw Nico some clothes and shot him a reassuring smile. The son of Poseidon was much better at smiling than he was.

"I'll bring you some ambrosia, and remember, DON'T FALL ASLEEP. I'll be in the living room waiting for you when Will falls asleep."

"No. You should go to sleep, I'll be fine."

"Hush." Percy said then grinned and exaggeratedly winked at him. "Good Night!"

Nico inwardly groaned as Percy exited the bathroom. Not for the first time in his life, Nico was glad the Sea Prince had refused immortality. The world would have to be pretty messed up to want Percy Jackson as a god.

He changed quickly frowning at the scar on his ankle. He took a deep breath and put his hand on the doorknob.

Everything was going to be fine, he reassured himself. Will would _not_ find out. His mother's wedding was in two days. Will did not need to add yet another worry on his list. And usually trusting Percy to keep his mouth shut wasn't very smart, but he knew Percy wouldn't talk about this.

…

Will Solace fell asleep with Nico in his arms, but he awoke clutching only empty air.

He frowned, glancing at the bathroom to find it, unfortunately, clear.

"Nico?"

He dressed and walked headed outside, glancing at the clock showed that it was still early. Too early for Nico to have gotten up on his own without a reason. The sleepyhead hid under the blankets when it was actually time to get up.

But instead of finding his Italian, he found Percy splayed out on the couch, snoring softly and clutching a cushion, now probably covered in drool.

"Oh, Will. Good morning."

He turned to see Nico smiling at him, sort of embarrassed-like. He was standing in the kitchen with a wooden spatula in his hand, and he was wearing a yellow bathrobe.

"…Hello…?" Will took a step back. "Should I be afraid?" He was only half joking.

The son of Hades blushed, suddenly shy. "I'm cooking, making pancakes and stuff."

Will grinned. Could there be anything more adorable?

"Okay then. I'll help." He gave him a peck on the lips. "Did you sleep well?" He had honestly been quite surprised when he had realized that he had spent the entire night without waking once. He wasn't complaining. He loved to help Nico in any way he could. And he would gladly give up his entire life to do so.

"Um… yes?"

Will took a good look at him.

Slight bags under the eyes, normal.

His face looked gaunt. He had to make sure Nico ate his own cooking.

Lips chapped and broken, more so than usual. Would it kill him to use some chap stick? That had to be painful.

But his eyes were alert, and there was still that healthy blush lingering on his cheeks.

"Stop it."

Will blinked. "What?"

Nick frowned at him. "Stop doing that Doctor thing. I know that look. You're looking for the best place to inject me."

"I do not have a doctor look." He protested.

Nick pursed his lips, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by a groggy voice coming from the couch.

"Mom? The…. pancakes are…. burning."

The son of Hades ran back, cursing. Will grinned, turning to look at Percy. How could he have smelled that? The burning odor was faint, to say the least. He had his eyes shut tight, clutching the cushion tightly.

"Mommy, are they blue?"

Nico shot Will a panicked look and he shrugged helplessly.

"Mom?"

Nico sighed. "Yes."

"Mom?" Now his tone held a bit of alarm. He was rising to consciousness.

Will saw his boyfriend grimacing. "Yes… _honey_. They're blue."

Will choked. But Percy relaxed, smiling softly.

"I love you, mommy."

Nice blushed and scowled hotly at Will, who was having a hard time keeping his laughter at bay.

"I…I love you too, dear." Nico narrowed his eyes at Will. " _Asshole_."

He laughed quietly. "Are they really blue?"

"…yes."

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"Ow, dude, really?" Leo chuckled as Jason nudged him into a tattoo parlor.

"You should. We all have one."

"What do you mean all of you? Only you and Percy have one. And that one is Roman."

"True." Percy put in.

Leo shook his head, grinning and looking the other way.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just that you two, and Will, look like you belong here. Tall, strong, sexy…Nico, you look like a starvation victim, and I look like twig."

They stared at him.

"Wow. That was random." Will said.

"And insulting." Nico added.

"Aw, you think I'm sexy?"

That last one was Percy.

Jason threw his arm around the Latino's shoulders. "You do _not_ look like a twig. Yes, you're a bit scrawny…but your packing on some muscle. And you can be sexy…you just need to try a little harder."

Leo stared at him in disbelief, shocked, while they all laughed. "Try? What do you mean I have to try?"

Jason tried to collect himself, attempting to shoot his friend an apologetic look.

"I didn't mean to offend you, you know what, just forget it. You're… you're gorgeous."

"No. Tell me!"

They sat in a coffee shop, Nico ordering for the rest of them. They had a nice view of the ocean, and the flocks of people walking around and swimming. Jason shot them a helpless look as Leo crossed his arms and looked at him defiantly.

"Well?"

"I'll take this one." Percy announced. He stared at Leo in the same way he had stared at Nico last night. In all seriousness, but somehow, the sheer effort looked comical.

"Leo… trust me, you are attractive. Right Nico?"

"I will not deign that with an answer."

"But sexy? Okay listen, let's look at Jason—

"We are not talking about this." Nico said incredulously, sipping at his coffee. Will shot him a disapproving look.

"Oh yes we are. Percy, continue." Leo commanded.

"Jason, is definitely sexy. Tall, blond, strong, gorgeous… he has that sexy scar on his lip that draws attention to his mouth, and his eyes are just striking. But… he doesn't know! He walks around smiling at people and showing off his ass with a big sign saying, 'Hey, look at me! I'm a sexy virgin!'"

Nick choked on his coffee, coughing violently. Jason was a dark shade of red and Will was laughing.

"You looking at my ass, Jackson?"

"No. You suck."

"Guys, stop laughing, continue Percy. I need to hear this. I'm the only one on this table without a girlfriend! No offense, Will." Leo insisted.

It was Will's turn to choke. "What?"

"Well, aren't you the girl in the relationship?"

"What—I…I don't, I'm not sure… but…"

Nico hid his face in his hands, feeling himself redden.

"You mean you don't know? Whatever Percy, at least I'm sexier than Nico."

Nico frowned at him, but didn't object, but Percy, surprisingly did. "What? Nico is definitely sexy. Were you not there when he walked up to me after the war and promptly told me I had no chance? That was sexy. Or the way that he walks around wearing black and glaring at people? The whole, 'If you touch me, or do so much as give me a dirty look, and I will tear off your eyeballs and glue them to your elbows.' Thing? That is hot. And he has that inky black hair and amazing cheekbones!"

"PERCY. STOP. NOW. PLEASE." Nico pleaded, Will cackled and Percy grinned.

Nico reached for his cup again as Percy pouted.

"Nico, please stop drinking so much coffee."

Nico stopped mid-drink and stared at Will as if he'd just grown a second head.

"It's bad for you. Caffeine is a drug, it affects the way your brain works, and coffee will make your teeth rot. And those are just _some_ of the reasons why you _shouldn't_ drink it."

Before Nico could formulate a reply to this preposterous statement, the mortals began to scream.

That could only mean one thing.

Monsters.

Will blinked, scrambling to his feet as the people rushed out of the shop, screaming and trampling each other.

"John? John where are you?"

"Help! Help!"

"It's a lion! OhmyGod, help!"

"Jennina? Daisy? Sadie?"

"It's a dinosaur! We're going to die! It's going to eat us all!"

"Mommy?"

Will immediately spotted the little girl clutching a doll, wide-eyed and looking around in panic. He sprinted towards her as a man trampled her. She screamed and he disappeared.

"Will! Wait!"

He ignored the cry and scooped the little girl in his arms, grabbing her doll in the process. Strangely, it was Power Ranger. Her long black hair tickled his face as he rushed back to his friends. What he saw next, made him stop in his tracks.

Percy uncapped Riptide with a flick of his wrist and Riptide sprang up, radiating in deadly, comfortable, balance. Jason tossed his enchanted drachma and his own sword appeared in his hand, glowing brightly. Leo reached into his tool belt faster than you could blink, and impossibly now held a flaming hammer. And lastly, his sweet, shy boyfriend unleashed his sword from seemingly nowhere and held it expertly in a fighting stance.

"What—

"Will! Get behind us!"

He looked down to see the little girl crying softly. He hurried hind them.

"Hey… what's your name?"

He was painfully aware that his voice and the girl sniffling, were the only sounds in the café. The mortals were gone, leaving only the presence of something bad to come.

"Bianca." She sniffed.

He saw Nico stiffen.

"Hello, Bianca. I'm Will, and you see these people here? They're superheroes! Just like your ninja here, they're going to get you back to your mommy."

Percy interrupted him.

"MANTICORE! JASON, LEO, BACK! NICO, WITH ME!"

Leo's eyes widened. "Damn it. Call the Winchesters."

Jason frowned at him. "Who?"

"Never mind."

Manticore? Shit. He should have known that three children of the big three were likely to attract monsters. And here they were, strutting around carelessly among innocent mortals

He kept his eyes fixed on Nico as he hurried next to Percy.

"I've dreamed of this since I was eight, you know."

Percy glanced at him, surprised. "Fighting a Manticore?"

"With you." He blushed and Will felt something sour in his mouth.

Percy smiled at him, then swiveled around as a man entered the café. The son of Poseidon's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, then his face relaxed into an arrogant smirk.

"Thorn! How are you, buddy? Took you quite some time to crawl up from Tartarus didn't it?"

The man's mismatched, cold eyes narrowed. But then his features also morphed into a smile. "Percy Jackson. I see you're all grown up now. Not as fat."

Percy lost his composure. "I was not fat!"

"And annoying. But you still are, apparently."

His head turned slowly towards Nico. There was something unearthly about that single movement. The way that his whole body stilled, and his smile crept up his cheeks. A shiver went up his spine.

"Nico di Angelo. Where's your pretty little sister?"

The son of Hades swallowed hard, lips trembling slightly. Will felt his chest tighten painfully. Jerk. Then Nico scowled, his body rigid.

"Enough talk. Percy?"

"Oh yeah."

Thorn shifted before his eyes. What once was a man, now stood before them as a demon. It was in the shape of a lion, fierce and strong with the dark wings of an enormous bat, and to top it all off, this horror had a long spiked tail, the thorns long, black, and deadly.

Bianca screamed and Will jerked back. He rushed into the girl's bathroom and set her down gently. "Bianca, I'm going to go help the Power Rangers, okay?" She nodded wildly and Will rushed outside and was greeted by a spectacular sight.

Percy, Jason, Leo, and Nico, The Heroes of Olympus, were amazing.

They whirled, parried, slashed, jabbed, fainted, and stabbed around the target. They looked as if they had been born for battle, as if they're sole purpose here among mortals, was to fight, and to emerge victorious. They were gods.

That is until Leo tripped and set the curtains on fire.

"VALDEZ!"

"Oops."

Will stumbled into action, yanking Nico back as a fatal-looking spike sailed past them.

"Nico! Be careful!"

"I am careful!"

"You almost got impaled!"

"Will, I've been dealing with this for years!"

"Yeah, well, _I've_ been dealing with people getting impaled for years!"

"Will, shut up! I can fight perfectly well!"

"I know, I know, I'm just saying I don't want to be pulling those thorns out of you!"

Nico snarled. He swung his blade wildly towards the Manticore. But what seemed to be a random swipe of anger, was actually a calculated blow of fury. It pierced its side, right under the nightmarish wing and into his ribs. Percy immediately jumped into action. He distracted the Manticore by leaving him a nasty scar on his face.

Will stumbled back, falling roughly as the monster turned unexpectedly and roared. He wished he had his bow.

Nico cursed and Will's heart stopped as a spray of blood splattered against the floor tiles. There was a nasty gash on his thigh. But instead of stopping, he took a flying leap to land on the lions back. Leo yelped as the tail swept above his head, but replied with a clumsy swing of his war hammer.

Will stood shakily. He couldn't do this. He was a _healer_ , for Zeus's sake! His purpose was to fix and to mend, to heal and help, not to do this! Not to make people scream, to destroy and to make bleed. Even if they were monsters, or if they were evil, no one deserved to die like that.

No one.

He rushed back to the bathroom just as water doused the flames on the curtain.

"Bianca?"

He spotted the little girl huddled in the corner. He reached for her and she went willingly. He walked beck outside just in time to see Percy make the killing blow with a savage grin.

"Think of me when you crawl out of hell, Dr. Thorn."

He disintegrated with a cry of outrage.

Leo whooped and high-fived Jason. Percy grinned at Nico and clapped him on the back. This victorious cheering immediately stopped when the police siren was heard. Their smiles melted and they looked at each other wide-eyed. The son of Poseidon looked more terrified now, than when the Manticore had entered the store.

"Alright guys, out! Out! Out! get out through the back door…Will! Will leave the girl!"

"What? Right here?"

"Yes! The police will take care of her. C'mon!"

Will set her down carefully. "Stay here, okay?"

Bianca nodded tearfully and Will forced himself to turn away but she called him back with a high-pitched, "Will!"

Percy blinked. "Aw, she's giving you her doll, now you have to take it."

Will frowned and turned towards her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thank you. Bye-bye, Will."

Will took it hesitantly, and Percy pulled him back and out of the café, just as the police entered the shop.

Nico sighed as they entered their hotel room. They had sure received some strange looks coming up here and this time, Nico hadn't imagined them. But Nico couldn't blame them, they looked like they had just escaped a bombing with only their lives intact.

But still, they walked in with smiles on their faces.

The girls looked startled when they set the gifts in front of them. Percy grinning triumphantly.

"What happened?" Piper asked, but then her eyes widened. "Never mind, why don't you get in there?" She began to push them as a whole towards the bathroom door. Annabeth mouthed something to Will and he too began to push them all inside.

"Aw. What kind of welcome was that?" Percy complained once the bathroom door was shut. The room was pretty spacious and they all settled down somewhere, giving themselves a once-over to gauge what was the worst of their injuries.

"I know, right?" Leo said, inspecting his elbow. "Usually when we fight a monster, win, and emerge unscathed, we get a few more cheers."

"And kisses." Jason added glumly.

"Unscathed'?" Will stammered. "You're bleeding all over the place!"

Nico sighed, looking guiltily at his boyfriend. Will looked panicked and angry, and it was his fault. If only they'd been more careful, or thought to prepare Will some more, maybe gave him a weapon? Told him that they constantly got attacked by monsters? He was sure the way they looked horrible to him, right on the verge of death.

"Will. We're fine." He said gently.

"Yeah," Percy said, sucking at a cut on his arm. "We do this all the time."

Will blanched. "Please don't do that."

"Sorry."

"Leo, stop that!" The blond commanded. Leo put the toilet paper down guiltily. "Everybody stop trying to fix themselves and stay still!"

"Jason…what are you doing with that lighter?" Will's voice was dangerously calm.

The son of Zeus looked up to see everyone looking at him. He blushed. "Um…well, we ran out of ambrosia… and I couldn't get my leg to stop bleeding, and so I thought that if I burned it, well, it would stop bleeding." His eyes widened. "Or…OR I could just wait for you! Yes!"

Will walked over to Nico, his first aid kit in his hands. "Take them off."

He wasn't meeting Nico's eyes and his voice was flat. Nico obediently slid his jeans down, glancing down at the scars on his thigh.

Nico heard a sharp intake of breath.

They were long, almost wrapping completely around his thigh, and deep, his leg was bathed in blood.

He really wasn't in any pain. That was good, right?

The son of Apollo kneeled in front of him, taking a cloth out of the kit. His hands were shaking. Nico swallowed.

"Hey, look at the bright side! You're going to have some really cool scars."

" _You_ , _shut_ _up_!" Will hissed at Percy.

Percy shut up.

"Will…" Nico tried.

Will looked up at him and Nico felt his heart jump into his throat. His face was flushed, his eyes brimming with tears, and his lip was bleeding from where he'd bitten it. This was not Will, not Will with his grin as big as the world, with his eyes shining and his laugh the most beautiful sound in the world.

Will cleaned off the area around the cut.

Nico cleared his throat. "Will, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I know…I know you're just trying to take care of us…of me."

"That's going to need stitches. We can't go to a normal hospital?"

"No."

He took some thread and looped it through a needle. "Leo, you're the least hurt, right? Go outside and see if my brother is gone. Get the girls."

Nico flinched as the needle went in, he gritted his teeth and gripped the edge of the tub. Will began talking, distracting him from the pain as the girls came in.

"I know that you used to fight monsters a lot. A-And I saw you in the war. And that you went to Tartarus and that your sister died—

"Will." Nico touched his face. "What's this about?"

"I can't just sit here and wait to patch you up while you go and risk your life! I can't protect you, I can't help you, all I can do is give you a Band-Aid, sing you a song, and shoot monsters from afar with my arrows!"

"That is not true." Nico stared at Will as he closed the wounds.

Will glared at him. "There's a major artery in your thigh, a couple of inches deeper—

"You risk your life every time you go out to heal, and you do so much more than just give out Band-Aids. Will, do you know how many lives you've saved?" Nico lowered his voice, staring at his curly hair and willing for him to look at him. "I _need_ you Will. I-I'm sorry, I am _so_ sorry. I swear I'll be careful and the monsters don't even attack as often anymore."

And suddenly they were kissing, desperately and apologetically and heatedly.

"Um, guys? I would tell you to get a room, but this is probably the best room for that, so we're just gonna go…" They heard Leo's slightly embarrassed and slightly suggestive voice. Nico ended the kiss, pulling back, red in the face.

Will quietly put cream on his injuries. Smiling softly.

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted."

Nico caught his mouth again, grinning as Will pulled him to his feet only for his boyfriend to sit back against the sink and pull Nico on top of him. Nico bid him entrance to his mouth and clung tightly to his neck. He felt his warm hands go up his shirt and he felt a burst of joy somewhere in his chest. Then Will's fingers slid down to his waist, stroking against the skin just under the waistband of his shorts.

Will pulled back, keeping his hands on his lower back and meeting his gaze intently. Nico sighed, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Will? William? You in there?"

Will sighed, too. Standing and helping Nico to his feet. "I have to go with Henry, to organize the wedding."

Nico stood as well. "Okay. Tomorrow's the wedding, right?" His lips were throbbing and he was still slightly out of breath. He searched for his ruined jeans and looked up surprised as Will tossed him new ones.

"Yup. And I hope you weren't thinking of leaving without putting a bandage on that."

"No, no, of course not."

They smiled.

 **Xxsabb: That means a lot to me, it really does, I feel horrible, like, in a good way, all emotional and shit, noooo….. but Thank you. XD**

 **Lord Nitro: *looks up adoringly at him/her* OH MY FREAKING GOD THAT IS HORRIBLE. WHY WOULD YOU SAY SUCH A THING? –omg that is awesome, you're right!- XD**

 **Nighttempes: Jack is his dream self! In this particular dream…not Nico! Sorry for the confusion. -_-**

 **Kenny Fablehaven: Seriously girl? *hands her Riptide* There ya go. Hack away.**

 **Gg180000: Thank you for loving this story! I'm sorry this is not ASAP!**


	13. Chapter 13

Will tucked a strand of hair behind Nico's ear. Nico smiled at him, and Will tentatively smiled back, but he looked nervous. Today was finally his mother's wedding, and they had spent the earlier day preparing. He could see Will was struggling to keep his anxiety in check.

Nico tugged at his boyfriend's jacket and folded the collar neatly. "There."

He grinned at him, and Will immediately relaxed.

"Look, everything will be fine." He reassured, but before he could say anything else,

Will suddenly hooked his fingers in his belt loops and pulled him close. Resting his forehead against his and Nico felt the grin drop off his face as he stared into his eyes. Gods, his eyes were beautiful. They were the clearest, bluest, piece of sky he'd ever seen. Nico's eyes involuntarily flickered to his lips, then back to those eyes.

His mouth dried.

"You're _so_ beautiful." He blurted.

Will blinked, surprised.

Nico felt himself blushing when the son of Apollo abruptly squeezed him and laughed loudly. Nico found himself squeezed against the taller blonde's chest. His cheeks were flaming. Why did he have to say that? At least it had distracted Will.

Before he could pull away and glare at his boyfriend, he suddenly found himself squeezed tighter against his boyfriend, painfully so.

He yelped as his feet left the ground.

Will blinked at him then stared at the reason for why they were so painfully flying.

"You both are so CUTE."

Jason.

Jason was squeezing them both in a bear-hug.

Piper laughed.

"I think he broke some of my ribs." Will whispered.

"Hush. It's about to start." His boyfriend replied cruelly.

The son of Apollo pouted at him, but Nico was focused on the entrance of the little gazebo, as most everyone was. Reluctantly Will, too, turned his attention there, and smiled as his mother entered.

She was glowing. Smiling and trying not to cry. Her brown hair tumbled down her shoulders, the veil partly covering it. And her dress was beautiful too. The girls had fawned over it immensely, (so had he! but it was mostly the girls). Will had been the one to actually choose the place, and they had all been in charge of the decorations. Annabeth had organized the procedure of the wedding. He could still see her glaring at various people, as if warning them not to mess up.

He was actually quite proud of what he'd done with the place. The gazebo was big and in good condition, it was right by the ocean too. They had struggled to weave white and blue silk all over the place. Making it picture perfect.

Just as his uncle let her go and she stepped up to the altar, white and blue flower petals rained down on them.

Will blinked.

He stared over at Annabeth who smiled smugly.

"Pressure plate."

"Oh."

He reminded himself not to get into a fight with that girl. The pressure plate could have easily released something more deadly than petals. (He was also glad she wasn't close with the Stoll brothers)

The pastor said a few words and his mother took the hands of her husband. She was so close; Will could count her freckles if he wanted to.

Annabeth smacked him and he jolted into action. He gave the rings to his mom and his stepfather and got back into the line of best men. As soon they kissed, the whole gazebo lit up and even Will could not hold back a gasp.

The guests cheered, clapping and shouting as the two little girls threw more petals onto the couple.

"Alright people! File out, file out, calmly…let the newlyweds go first…it's time to celebrate!" Someone announced loudly. Will turned to get Nico, but his boyfriend had disappeared. Instead, Henry pulled him over.

"Looking for your boyfriend? He went behind the gazebo with that tall green-eyed guy."

"Percy? Oh. Okay."

Henry looked at him strangely.

"You know, when I say that, accuse you of being a fag like that, you usually _deny_ it."

Will blinked at him. "He _is_ my boyfriend."

Henry actually looked pretty good in his formal outfit, his features somehow more angular, the hard glint in his eyes, and the smirk on his lips seeming to be right at home with the sharply pressed suit. But now he only looked surprised.

"I…err, what?"

It was Will's turn to smirk. "You got a problem?"

"No. No. Of course not. Since when?" Henry seemed embarrassed, but curious.

"Since when was I gay? Or—

"No! S-Since when did you…did you start… going out with him?"

Will grinned stupidly. "I kissed him on Christmas."

Henry blinked. "Oh… _Oh_."

His stepbrother backed away and followed the crowd out. Will shrugged, dismissing his weird behavior and stepped down to look for Percy and Nico. They had sure been spending a lot of time together lately….

No. No. He wasn't going to do that. He trusted Nico. And if he said nothing was going on—

"Will! Hi." Nico said, stopping abruptly.

Percy ran into him from behind and Nico scowled, stumbling forward.

"Idiot."

Percy grinned sheepishly. "Hi, Will."

"Hello…?"

"C'mon! Let's go to the party where we can drink and dance! Nico was just telling me all about his interesting but embarrassing habits you were going to have to put up with when yall get married."

Will frowned as Percy hurried both of them back up the stairs. "What?"

"I hate you, Jackson." Nico said miserably.

Percy laughed.

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 **Margo Mcknew: Thank you! You're amazing, too. XD**

 **Gg180000: The talented potato says hello! Murder is not only frowned upon, but feared! Especially by me! Which does not mean I will** ** _not_** **be writing about murder anytime soon!**

 **.4ever: I know! But that is just so complicated. I'll make sure to bring it up once in a while. Oh and by the way, Malec is amazing and I'm totally going to use that for the next chapter!**

 **Kenny fablehaven: You should not be singing about killing! And yes, now the government knows your names. Shame on you. I like adorableness.**

 **Nighttempes: Thank you. Keep reviewing. They make me smile.**

 **Everybody else: I am sure I am thanking some of you twice or not at all but whatever. I am a mess.**

 **ALRIGHT EVERYONE I AM SURE I AM NOT THE ONLY BRILLIANT WRITER HERE! SO IF ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY STORIES UP HERE THAT I HAVE NOT READ THAT YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO READ, THEN TELL ME! I LOOOOOOVE YOU.**


	14. Sorry

Hi.

This writing is like...ew. Bear with me. I beg you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.`.~.~.~.

"You okay?"

Nico looked over at Will and smiled as he had so many times before when someone asked him that, now the smile surfaced easily and without pain. He was about to reassure him that yes, he was fine, but Will took his hands and squeezed comfortingly.

Usually that would have made him feel amazing, to have Will's rather large, warm hand around his own, but now he only felt alarm. He pulled their hands behind his back and smiled at an elderly woman as she walked into the building.

"What's wrong?"

Will leaned in for a kiss.

"Stop! Will…" Nico hissed.

He stepped back.

Will stopped, looking hurt.

Nico swallowed, his face hot. "Y-Your family…They'll s-see…"

"Gods Nico! Really?" Will stepped back, running a hand through his hair. "They won't care! _I_ don't care! Why—

He stopped again staring at Nico, his face unreadable. Then he suddenly took two quick strides and kissed him, hard.

Nico whimpered.

His lips stung, but what hurt more was the pain in Will's kiss. Pure hurt.

And now shame.

Will drew back, not meeting his eyes. "Come. Let's go back to the hotel."

Nico found his voice. "But the wedding—

"Nico. Please."

The son of Hades stared at his boyfriend, at the boy he never thought he'd get. The son of Apollo, who's own smile was brighter than the sun… whose eyes were the sky itself. This boy was heaven. Damned if he was going to let him get away.

Nico took his hand firmly, intertwining their fingers. "No, let's go."

"What?"

"Let's go. Inside."

"No, Nico…look, I'm sorry—

"NO." Nico di Angelo took both of Will's hands in his own, gripping them tightly. " _I'm_ sorry. I l-love you, Will. I love you so much and I will do _whatever_ to make you happy. I don't want to lose you. I know I-I've been an idiot about… _us_ …and I am so sorry…"

"Nico…"

"Please, Will. _Please._ Let me try again."

He looked down at their joined hands. His had lots of light freckled on the top of his hand, and he had a beautiful skin tone that he imagined tasted like caramel, (Hush) and they seemed to glow with life. Nico's hands paled in comparison. Literally. He had actually regained some of his olive complexion since coming to Florida, with everyone dragging him around all the time, and the green and blue veins didn't stand out half so much as they used to. His nails were bitten and worn, some almost to the bed and he could not count how many times his fingers had bled.

But somehow they didn't seem so bad next to Will's.

Perhaps _he_ wasn't so bad beside Will.

...

They were inside, someone had put on some lively music and the dance floor was crowded with sweaty, happy, bodies. Will himself was grinning. He felt positively amazing. Not because there was lively music playing, or because his mother was getting married. Not even because almost everyone in the room was practically vibrating with happiness. No. It was because there was a cold, little hand in his own, squeezing the life out of one of his fingers.

"William! Come here, my boy!" Will turned, frowning slightly at the use of his full name. But then grinned. "Mrs. Walcott! You came!"

Much to his embarrassment the elderly woman pulled him in for a hug, kissing him on both cheeks. And then proceeding to pinch them hard. "Oh, my baby! Look how you've grown! You've turned yourself into a proper man!"

Nico snickered.

"Ha-ha, thanks…ow…okay, I love you too." Will grinned at Mrs. Walcott and she cooed something about him being sweet.

He felt his cheeks redden more than they already were as his boyfriend smirked. Seriously? First Nico was excited, then mortified and miserable, then sweet, loving, and adorable, and now he was snickering and smirking, delighting in Will's embarrassment.

Evil, adorable, perfect, boyfriend.

"Oh, and who's your little friend?"

Nico's smirk faded into a fake, polite smile. He turned towards Will.

Will met his eyes.

Wow. Nope. He could not read the expression on his face.

He took Nico's abandoned hand and pulled him closer. He had just a second to appreciate the flicker of surprise on the other boy's features before he became guarded again, the only thing that betrayed his polite mask of indifference was the growing stain of pink on the Italian's neck.

"Mrs. Walcott, this is Nico di Angelo, my boyfriend."

He didn't give her time to respond and instead turned to the son of Hades. "This is Mrs. Walcott. She practically raised me when mother was in one of her moods."

Nico looked frightened, and a bit sick. But Will knew that the sweet old woman with her peach-colored little dress wasn't going to hurt him. Perhaps make his cheeks sting like they'd been slapped repeatedly, but other than that—

"Oh! Come here, you!" Just like predicted, she pinched Nico's cheeks. Now Nico looked terrified. It was Will's turn to snicker. "Would you look at that? You are the cutest little thing I've ever seen! We just need to fatten you up a bit…Will! What have you been feeding this child?!"

"Err…what? I don't feed him…"

"What? You poor thing! Will, I raised you better than that, let you have all the sweets you wanted, I did."

Nico blinked.

"You see, one time when William was in kinder-garden, his mother forgot to pick him up from school and the little rascal decided to walk home all on his own. Well, of course I had the police force combing the streets for my piece of sunshine, but he showed up at the house, two hours later, fine as silk, and said he had been picking me some flowers."

Mrs. Walcott laughed loudly, and Nico smiled, the tension gone from his face. Will leaned against the fancy table.

"I should have given him a proper slapping, but his mama had just given him a haircut, and his ears were sticking up all funny-like, and he was giving me them sunflowers, I just couldn't. Instead I gave him all the chocolate in the pantry. Made the poor boy sick."

Nico laughed and Will blushed, shaking his head. "Mami. Don't bore him."

His boyfriend grinned at him, rather devilishly. "Oh, I'm not bored."

Will laughed awkwardly, he took Nico's elbow and pulled him gently to his feet. "We'll leave you to talk to Mrs. Lopez there, bye, Mami!"

"Bye, sweetheart! You take care of my William, Nico!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Nico grinned and looped his arm through Will's as they walked away. "She's sweet."

"So are you." Will said.

He leaned down and kissed him.

Before Will could comment on the brand of wine Nico had drank, he was abruptly pulled away and yanked to face Henry, who was scowling at him.

"Rude."

His new brother grimaced she gestured vaguely towards Nico. "Is that your…girlfriend?"

Nico's face out-scowled Henry's. No one could scowl better, (worse?) than the Ghost King,

"Boyfriend." Will corrected.

Henry looked confused, but then he just shoved Will back. "Do you have to do that here?"

Will frowned, trying to read his tone. He wasn't exactly disgusted, nor disturbed, he actually sounded…afraid. Wow. He put a whole new meaning to, "homophobic." He decided to play dumb.

"Do what? Kiss?"

Henry glared at him and sort of pulled him to the side. Nico got the hint and wandered away, almost seeming to disappear into the crowd. That annoyed Will. He turned to frown at Henry.

"What?"

His could still taste the expensive wine on his lips.

"Don't do _that_ here."

Will stared at his stepbrother in disbelief. Shocked by his words when he was pleasantly daydreaming of Nico. Was he serious? Now he was glad Nico wasn't here to hear this.

"It's not like we're having sex on the floor. Would you prefer that?"

That seemed to anger him even more. But Will didn't care. _He_ was angry. How dare he?

Henry grabbed his jacket roughly and pulled him close.

"Hey, I had to rent this thing! It cost me—

"Fuck you, Will. Listen to me. I don't have a problem with you or your…girlfriend. I could care less what you two fags do."

"'Fag' is a very mean word. So is 'Fuck' I suggest—

"LISTEN! Do you always talk this much? It's dad. He…He doesn't like it."

"Your dad?"

"Yes. _Your_ stepfather. He doesn't like the whole homosexual thing. Especially not when it's in his own family."

Will looked up at Henry thoughtfully.

"So?"

Henry stared at him. "What?"

"So what? I don't care."

Will saw the older boy's eyes widen. They lit up with anger and the next thing he knew, he was crumpled against the wall and someone had set fire to his jaw.

Before he could say anything, which would have hurt, Piper was at his side.

He looked up to see Annabeth with a dagger against Henry's throat and Percy clutching Riptide in pen-form. Jason was standing behind them and scanning the room for potential danger while Leo seemed to be trying to light Henry on fire with his eyes. Nico pulled him to his feet.

How did they get here so fast?

"Do I need to slit his throat?" Annabeth asked, looking beautiful and terrifying.

"What? No, no…"

"At least a proper beating." Nico snapped.

"We could take it outside." Piper suggested helpfully.

"No! No, he's fine. I mean, _I'm_ fine."

Henry wisely kept quiet.

Percy looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. _Yes_. We were just talking."

"That didn't look like talking to me." Leo snorted.

Will shot the Latino an exasperated look.

"Okay. Just…call us if you need us." Jason said reassuringly.

Will blinked at all of his friends. It was like he had six very violent and overprotective mothers. He rubbed his jaw gingerly and looked at Henry warily as his friends walked away. Only Nico stayed.

Will raised an eyebrow at him.

Nico raised both, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

It looked like his boyfriend wasn't going anywhere. He turned towards Henry, who had a hand to his throat and was staring at Will like he was staring at a different person.

"Your friends have problems."

" _You_ have problems. Why the hell did you punch me?"

Henry frowned at him. "Because you're freaking annoying. I'm warning you, and you just completely blew me off!"

"I told you the truth! I don't care. Why do you care?"

Henry reached for his arm, but then he stopped and looked at Nico. "I think he growled at me."

"He can be a bit scary."

"Look. You don't know Richard. You were at camp whenever they were dating. You barely come home."

Henry ran a hand through his hair and looked away, he seemed to be sweating, and his face was flushed. Will frowned. He had never seen Henry like this. His older stepbrother was calm, collected, and full of hate. Always a smirk, or a glare, but never this.

He put a hand on Henry's arm. "Hey…what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Henry stared at him.

"I just punched you. And I'm an ass to you and your ninja friends."

Will nodded. "Yes. So?"

Henry shook his head and fixed his gaze on a spot on the wall behind Will.

"When I was younger I thought I was gay. I kissed my best friend and brought him home. At the time my mother was alive but she was out. Father saw us and kicked him out. Beat some sense into me. Mother came home and they fought over it. She tried to take me to the hospital but I refused. He was proud."

He smirked.

"Went to school with two broken ribs and four broken fingers. I never looked at a guy like that again."

Will struggled to keep his emotions in check. Henry wouldn't appreciate any of them right now.

"Look." Henry shoved him back halfheartedly. "I'm not telling you to stop dating him… even though you should. Just…don't tell anyone and don't bring him home."

There was loud laughter as someone fell over drunk.

Will laughed as well, but his was bitter. "So you're telling me to go back in the closet? Like you did?"

"I. am. not. gay. Not anymore."

"You can't just un-gay yourself."

"Yes, but you can get it fucking beat out of you!"

"Are you threatening to beat me?"

"Only if you want me to!"

"I like my gayness! I am happy!"

"You're not going to be much longer!"

"Gay or happy?"

Will gazed at him, a smile teasing his lips as Henry's face reddened in anger. His stepbrother recognized his amusement and sighed irritably. He cast one last look at his lips before turning away.

"You're an idiot."

The son of Apollo frowned a bit as he walked away.

He decided he liked him.

Even if he had molested his friends and called him a fag on numerous occasions.

Will liked him.


	15. Chapter 15

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Somebody had changed the loud, celebratory music into a soft, romantic one.

Will found himself swaying slightly and looking around for Nico. Before he could go off in search for the Italian, he headed over to the table of honor, where his mom and Richard were seated. His stepfather was smiling at her with a soft look on his face while his mother talked and laughed, occasionally eating spoonful's of cake.

He smiled, remembering another day on his eight birthday when his mother had told him that if they had to eat to survive, they might as well enjoy it. But the day after that when she didn't come home and when Will waited patiently for her to come back for three weeks and when he searched the house for every ounce of food until he had to break the rules and run to Mrs. Walcott.

He shook his head. No. This was a day of celebration.

He quickly dispelled those unpleasant thoughts and rushed over, grinning.

"Will! Are you enjoying the party?"

He laughed. " _I_ am. Are _you_?"

"Yes! I never thought my wedding would be this exciting!" His mother laughed and put a hand on Richard's arm. "You know how dull these ceremonies tend to be. But you and your friends did such a great job of organizing it, it's fantastic! That Annabeth girl sure knows how to plan an event."

Will smiled and was about to agree when he saw something that made the words die in his throat. No, not something, _someone_. This wedding was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

…..

The son of Hades had found its way next to Will, and after much beckoning from the other boy, he had finally agreed to let himself be introduced to his parents.

"Right now, Will, really?"

"Oh, c'mon it'll be fine…d-dad?"

Nico frowned and turned to look at his boyfriend. What did he just say?

Will was looked at someplace behind him with an expression full of horror and embarrassment and a bit of…glee?

"WHIP-OOR-WILL!" A loud voice boomed. Nico flinched, wondering if he should draw his sword.

"THERE'S MY ADORABLE RAY OF SUNSHINE! LOOKIT YOU! ALL GROWN UP AND GOOD-LOOKING, JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER!"

A peal of laughter came from somewhere in the god's arms as he enveloped his son in a crushing hug. Apollo threw back his head and laughed loudly as well, sounding as if someone was joyously ringing bells somewhere in heaven.

Nico stumbled back, unable to hold back the grin on his face as he looked at the pair.

Apollo and Will certainly looked related. The god was laughing and flashing his brilliant white teeth, his golden hair gelled back as his tanned skin seemed to glow with pure happiness. Will himself had a head full of equally golden curls with his skin radiating warmly and his lips pulled back in a grin.

"Dad! What are you doing here?"

Apollo looked like a movie star. Gorgeous. Hot.

The sun god turned towards Nico as if he could hear his thoughts and winked at him.

Nico's blushed, scowling.

"Quite a charmer, you got there, son."

Will grinned.

"Why, I came to visit you, and give your mother my congratulations and best wishes." He turned and took the bride's hand in his own and kissed it. Apparently not noticing the awed stares from the nearby crowd and from Richard himself.

"I-I wasn't expecting you…oh, um… Richard, this is…Will's biological father. Apollo."

"Paulo?"

"Um…yes."

"Pleasure to meet you. And…congratulations! You've got yourself quite a woman. I wish you the best of luck."

Richard nodded, still confused and a bit shocked at his entrance. He looked even more puzzled as Apollo leaned back and seemed to whisper in a voice that was much too audible into his son's ear.

"What do we think about this guy?"

Will blinked. "What? Oh, I-I don't know!"

The god sighed, and patted his head affectionately. "Very well. I'll be walking around and meeting Will's friends, if you don't mind."

"Of course." His mother said in a small voice.

Nico barely had time to regain his composure before Apollo put an arm around his shoulders, and the other one around Will's shoulders, and began ushering them away.

"Sooo…I was in Nevada enjoying the clubs and the ladies when all of a sudden Aphrodite tells me that not only is your mother getting married, Will, but that you found yourself a boyfriend! And you were right here in the Sunshine State!"

The sun god took a seat in the nearest table and motioned them to do the same.

"Speak, William! Where'd you find him? He _is_ pretty… in a dark, voodoo china doll kind of way. Don't get me wrong. Your children will be gorgeous, even Artemis will regret not having some when she sees yours."

"Dad…" Will began patiently as Nico focused on wishing to be anywhere other than here. "That's not the way children are born, you need a woman and a man—

"Oh, nonsense. I can give you some lady parts this instant. Which one of you wants them?"

Nico let out a strangled squeak and Will's jaw dropped.

Apollo looked at them seriously for a second, as if waiting for them to volunteer, before throwing back his head and laughing hysterically.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THE LOOK ON YOUR FACES!"

Nico hid his face in his hands. Zeus.

"Oh, look! Here are the rest of your friends! Aw…where's the cute brown one with the Asian?"

"Some, praetor business held them back…err, um, Your Highness?" Leo said hesitantly, the last part sounding more like a question.

"No, no. Just call me 'Apollo'. Or, 'Will's dad'. Maybe even, 'hot stuff' if you're feeling daring."

Leo frowned. "Wait a second… _I'm_ hot—

"Quiet! It is time I give my gift to the lovely bride and the groom. Attention!"

He didn't say it rather loud, but everyone quieted and turned to look at him.

Will's mother paled, as if she knew what was going to happen next, Will too, mimicked her expression of horror, but to Nico's confusion, Percy leaned in, an eager look on his face. Once the god began speaking (if you could even call it that) Nico understood why.

 _"_ _Oh, beauteous bride,_

 _You never did meet Clyde,_

 _But if you had,_

 _He would have wished to see you clad_

 _In that wedding dress._

 _I wish you the best of luck_

 _With the man that you call Chuck_

 _Or Richard…I can't remember._

 _Now that you've been blessed,_

 _By this poem that is not a jest,_

 _I will give you your horse."_

There was a silence.

Percy slowly began clapping.

Nico really shouldn't have been all that shocked when a white stallion marched into the room.

Tell me what you think!


	16. FLUFFTASTIC

**You are all beautiful!**

 **Lord Nitro, you are evil. I do not think I can keep up with your malevolence. But thank you!**

 **DemiTribute…Your wish is my command. Though I may obey a bit late. XD**

 **Kenny…you do know that that was MY poetry, right? *cries* lol, just kidding, I meant to do that. :P**

 **AND I ADORE YOU! ANNABETH!**

Nico awoke with bliss coursing through every inch of his body. He let out a happy sigh and turned towards the main source of heat in this cloud that posed as a bed.

Will.

He snuggled up next to him, not yet willing to open his eyes.

Why couldn't he wake up like this, every day?

The sun shining on his back, the soft silk sheets tangled in his legs, his head and limbs feeling completely rested, and the seagulls muted cries reverberating in his head, this was how a person should wake up in the morning.

He had a feeling he'd thought that before.

Nico pushed those annoying thoughts away and pulled his boyfriend closer, throwing his leg and arm around him possessively and earning a sigh from the other boy. He felt Will's arms go around his sides, pulling him even closer and then flipping him so that the heavier boy was pressing him against the mattress.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Nico frowned at the cynical voice and nuzzled closer into Will's neck.

Who was that grumpy person trying to ruin his perfect morning?

"Really, guys, quit."

Will grumbled, and suddenly squeezed him roughly.

"Nico. _Wake up_."

Alarm shot through him as his sleepy brain processed this insistent voice.

There was pain in that voice…and something about it was horribly out of place. He finally forced his eyes open and stared uncomprehendingly.

It was Will.

Fully dressed and standing over him, scowling in annoyance.

Definitely not the bare chested man that was mumbling into his neck and holding him tightly.

"What… who—

He shifted and brushed his lips against Nico's cheek.

"Shush, baby…let me sleep."

Nico identified the groggy voice.

"Percy." Nico said, horrified.

He struggled, but to no avail. For some reason, his body felt weaker than before. Well rested, but definitely weaker. He pushed down the resulting panic at his powerlessness. This was just Percy.

He thought, bitterly amused, how just a couple of months ago Nico would have killed to be in this same position. Pressed down into the mattress by one half-naked Percy Jackson with his muscled arms holding him tightly and his lips mumbling into his neck.

No. NO. This was not the time to think about that. Nor was any time, for that matter.

"Don't just stand there! Help me get him off!"

Will nodded and just managed to peel the other boy off.

Nico had to resist the urge to whine at the sudden loss of warmth.

Percy grumbled as well, cracking open his eyes and staring at Will, looking disheveled and cranky.

"Really, Solace? If you wanted to cuddle, all you had to do was say so."

Will rolled his eyes.

Percy sat up and stretched yawning, he turned to look at Nico and froze. His eyes widening.

"Whoa. Neeks? Oops."

Nico smirked and pushed himself up, his arms trembling uncomfortably. What? Now he was having trouble sitting up? Pathetic.

Percy swung his legs off the bed with ease. Nico watched with envy. Will also watched in envy, but for a very different reason.

The son of Poseidon was only wearing thin blue boxer shorts. His back rippled with muscles as he stretched again, his butt looking more than fine, Nico happily admired the view. Just because he was in a relationship didn't mean he wasn't allowed to look, right? (Who wouldn't?)

"That was the best sleep I've had in ages."

Nico was about to agree, but Will cut in.

"Yeah… with _my_ boyfriend."

He paused in his stretching, looking at Will wide-eyed.

"What? I didn't do it on purpose! H-He just passed out and you were doing your doctor stuff so I just put him on the bed. I was cold! I must've fallen asleep…I swear I would never…" Percy trailed off.

Nico bit his lip. Uh oh.

The son of Hades took his boyfriend's hand, pulling him closer and shooing Percy away.

Percy pulled on his jeans and practically flew from the room.

Will grudgingly sat on the bed next to Nico, looking down at their intertwined hands in silence. Nico took the opportunity to examine him. His blond curls were wet from his shower, his skin still pleasantly tanned from their days at the beach. He was wearing a red flannel shirt with the top button undone and a thin black jacket thrown over it, his blue jeans just a little bit tight. One of the laces of his boots was undone.

Gods, he was gorgeous.

Nico leaned forward and kissed him gently. Will's hands fluttered to his hair, then to the side of his face, brushing past his ears and down his back to settle on his waist.

Nico pushed his boyfriend down and let himself fall between his legs. Will relaxed beneath him and Nico opened his eyes to see the frown clear off his face. Will's eyes suddenly opened and they stared at each other.

Nico's heart beat faster.

"Um…I-I should get dressed. I'll meet you for breakfast?" The son of Hades stammered.

The blond chuckled. "Okay. But are you sure you feel okay?"

"Of course. I don't know why I passed out yesterday." The lie fell off his lips easily, filling him with shame. But shame that he hid.

Will was none the wiser.

"Okay. It smells like the boys are cooking something nice. Hurry up, will you?" He pecked Nico on the cheek, smiling happily, and left.

Nico looked after him and then turned to stare at his lap once the door closed. He really didn't deserve Will. But if the medicine worked, then Nico wouldn't have to lie to his beloved ever again. Now he just had to deal with the side effects, if he even had any.

Nico swung his legs off the side of the bed, and immediately collapsed.

His arms failed to catch him and his head smacked against the floor.

He groaned.

He lay there panting.

Okay, so he _did_ have some side-effects. This sudden weakness. It would pass soon, right?

He pushed himself onto his hands and knees, glad Will had left so he didn't have to see this. There was no way he could ever reach the clothes in his closet so he crawled over to the pile of clothes on the floor. Okay, these were obviously his jeans, and that was Will's shirt that smelled deliciously like him. Thirty minutes later, he was finally able to drag his sorry self out of the bathroom.

"Nico?" It was Will at the door.

"Uh…coming!"

"Okay…?"

He pushed himself up, leaning heavily on a wardrobe. Maybe he should just ask for help. But the he would look like an idiot while Will carried him to the breakfast table. Would he look like a bigger idiot if he crawled to the table? Probably.

He pushed himself forward just as Will opened the door.

"Nico why—whoa!"

The son of Apollo laughed as Nico crashed into him, his cheeks flaring in embarrassment. Nico grabbed onto his shirt as he felt himself falling backward, panicked.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? I got you."

His knees buckled and Will's eyes widened, his hands scrambling down his back to get better leverage until he grasped the back of his thighs and pulled him up, making him yelp.

"Are yall okay back there?" Leo called.

"Yep. Everything's great." Will huffed, stumbling inside and leaning against the wall. Nico didn't notice, too busy reveling in the relief running through his legs and arms.

Nico groaned loudly. "Yes. _Yes_. Thank the gods. I'm never going to walk again."

"Really, guys?" Leo sounded queasy and embarrassed.

Will turned red and closed the door with his heel.

"Nico? What's wrong?" His face, still recovering from the blush, was looking up at him in concern.

"Nothing. My legs are asleep, that's all."

Nico was suddenly struck by his strength. He probably didn't weigh a whole lot, but still, Will had not wavered once.

And the large hands that were still firmly grasping the upper part of his thighs were making Nico a bit light-headed.

"Okay…? Do you want me to set you on the bed?"

"NO! No, not there!" He did NOT want to go through all that struggle again.

"Nico, you're acting weird. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes. Yes. Just take me." Nico gestured towards the door.

Will looked confused. "Carry you to the table?"

"Please?"

For one horrible second, Nico thought Will would say no, or drop him, or call him ridiculous and crazy, but his boyfriend just laughed.

"Whatever you want, gorgeous." He winked at him, and Nico felt himself falling sideways, yelping.

Will looked down at him as he carried him bride's style.

"Uh…W-Will…"

The blonde nuzzled his neck, causing a fiery red blush to bloom on his cheeks.

"To breakfast!"

Will kicked open the door, happily walking towards the table. The chatter stopped and Will set him down. Nico stared down at his pancakes, wondering if he should've stayed in his room.

"Yall were pretty loud back there." Leo snickered.

"Should've covered your ears, Valdez." Will replied, digging into his breakfast.

His friends laughed and Nico finally noticed the pile of suitcases and bags that were leaning against the wall. He frowned. Why were…wait, were they…

"Guys, weren't we supposed to leave yesterday?"

Percy answered, stealing a bit of food off Jason's plate. "Yeah, but then you passed out, and we decided to let you have some rest before leaving first thing in the morning."

Nico felt a twinge of embarrassment and guilt. "Oh."

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed, smacking her boyfriend's arm and causing him to look up in confusion. He had a blueberry in his hand that he dropped once he looked at Nico. He blanched.

"It was no big deal, really Nico, everyone else appreciated the rest too—WHY ARE YOU CRYING?"

Nico jumped, startled. "What? I—

He fell silent as his vision blurred and fat tears rolled down his face. He wiped the tears furiously but they just kept coming. "I-I'm not crying—

Will hastily took Nico's face between his hands. "Baby? What's wrong?"

Before he even knew what was going on, all his friends had crowded around him and were fussing over him, cooing comforting nonsense and trying to touch him.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME! I'M NOT FUCKING CRYING!"

They all jumped back.

Nico buried his face in his hands.

He was losing control of his body. Soon he was going to start convulsing, or screaming uncontrollably, o-or shitting himself. He just wanted the nightmares to stop. Was that too much to fucking ask for? He didn't want to be attacked by monsters in his sleep, or have people he didn't even know but somehow loved die again and again every time he closed his eyes, or get raped as someone he didn't know with pain and humiliation as real as anything. He just wanted to wake up without screaming.

Wow guys. Is it pathetic that I cried at my own writing? Guys...tell me how I did.


	17. Chapter 17

**Special Chapter!**

"ZEUS! I REQUEST A FORMAL GATHERING!"

Zeus looked up from his throne, hiding something behind his back and immediately looking irritable. His son Apollo strolled through the throne room to stand before him. Gods appeared in their thrones, some with a flash or a bang or a flock of screaming pigeons. Apollo ignored this all to look at the king of the gods levelly.

"No one cares if someone stole your toys, Apollo. That is no reason to call a Formal Gathering."

"They are not toys! They're musical instruments! But, that's not why I called this formal— is that porn?"

Zeus reddened and sputtered as Hera and several other gods gasped. Ares and Aphrodite smirked and Artemis rolled her eyes.

"T-That is none of your business! You insolent—

Hera plucked the fluttering pages from behind his back and threw it on the floor with distaste.

"Merely a fishing magazine." She sniffed disdainfully.

Poseidon gasped, appearing in his throne in his usual apparel of beach gear. "Brother! Do you know the perils of overfishing? Every day the mortals go out at sea and take millions of fish from their homes! And now you? This means war!"

The throne room exploded in an uproar.

Everyone except Apollo, that is. Usually he would have been screaming and yodeling with the rest of them.

The sun god's unusual silence made everyone else quiet.

"As I was saying, this is a matter of world-wide importance!"

Aphrodite painted her nails.

But some of the other gods were beginning to pay attention, their brows furrowing with worry.

"My son's boyfriend, is having nightmares." Apollo stated, as if declaring that the world was about to explode.

The gods argued loudly until Zeus called for silence.

"Why is this any of our business?" Ares asked irritably, snuffing out his cigar in his palm.

"Because, I know one of you is responsible. A-And my son is unhappy."

Artemis studied her brother.

His usually carefree attitude had dropped and there was a strange twitch in his jaw. His eyes were hard, but at the same time vulnerable. She also noticed that Hades was particularly silent.

"Did you go visit them after I especially forbid anyone to do just that?" Zeus asked, eyes sparkling dangerously.

Apollo rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation. "No. I merely gave them a horse and recited a few sonnets."

"Well, it's not me." Artemis said.

"Nor I." Aphrodite sighed.

"I didn't do it." Ares grumbled. "Though if he can't handle a few bad dreams then maybe I should have. Teach the boy how to take it like a man."

Hades shot the god a glare.

"I have no interest in the Di Angelo boy." Zeus said, bored.

Apollo lost his patience, though he never did have much to begin with. "Well somebody here did it! If you don't confess right now—

"Enough." Hades growled. "My son is none of your business, sun god. But if you must know, it was I that has caused him so much pain, and also wimp that you call a son, apparently."

"So much drama," Hera complained. "And here I was thinking that someone had started World War III."

Apollo glared, but before he could speak the god of the underworld held up a hand to stop him. "My plan had not worked out so well. I will talk to him immediately."

Hades stood and turned to go. But he stopped and met Apollo's stare.

"Thank you for caring." He glared at the rest. "It's more than any of you ever do."

The souls in his robe seemed to grin ghoulishly as he turned towards the god of the heavens. "Your son, the Grace boy, is facing some serious problems that even if you cared, he wouldn't want to share with you."

He scowled at Aphrodite. "Your daughter could use someone to reassure her and listen to her doubts. She feels as if she cannot tell anyone."

He turned towards Athena with cool indifference. "Annabeth has so many burdens on her shoulders I'm surprised her hair hasn't turned grey again."

He looked at Hephaestus, who was standing stiffly in the corner. "That arrogant boy of yours has some serious self-esteem issues." He glared at Hera. "And I can see why."

He finally addressed Poseidon. "Your son is retarded. Poisoning my child like that."

The god of the sea shrugged knowingly. If such a thing is possible.

"You would all know this if you weren't so busy having sex with each other or frying fish."

Poseidon whimpered.

"And _you_ ," Hades said with venom, snaring Apollo with his eyes. "Your 'music' has doubled the number of souls in the underworld."

With that last harsh scolding, the Lord of the Underworld trudged out of Olympus.

?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?

Will was bewildered, to say the least.

 **(Ha-ha, beWILdered. Lmao.)**

One minute Nico was meek and embarrassed, then he was spitting venom and crying, and now he was snickering and braiding his hair like a six-year-old girl.

"Your hair is _so_ pretty." Nico giggled. "It's as if someone had put the sun through a cheese grinder and attached the strands to your head."

"Thanks…?"

Leo stopped in his cleaning to glance over at him and smirk.

"Yes. Your hair looks like sun-cheese."

Nico shot Leo a grin and the Latino staggered back in exaggerated shock.

His boyfriend threw his arms around Will's neck and snuggled into his neck, placing kisses on his flushed skin. Will should have been delighted, but he felt as though this wasn't really Nico. It was like someone had plucked his boyfriend from the face of the Earth and replaced him with this cute, silly boy.

"Nico are you sure you're okay? You're not drunk or something, are you?"

He thought he saw Percy shift uncomfortably at his words but it must have been his imagination.

They were all currently getting ready to finally go home. Richard and his mother had wished them a good time as they left immediately for their honey moon, the day before. Henry had also gone home with one of his aunts, saying something about being sick with the flu.

"Drunk? No. Stop looking at me like that, I'm Nico. Love me."

Annabeth laughed, taking a stack of books from the coffee table.

"Exactly. What are you complaining about?"

He smiled as Nico planted more kisses along his jaw.

Their friends exited and they were left alone.

"I'm so happy when I'm with you, Will." The words bubbled out of him like he was ready to burst. "And I'm sorry when I'm mean and nasty because I can't believe you're still here. When you first kissed me I was sure you would realize your mistake and leave me. But you stayed. Even when I pushed you away you stayed. You stayed. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don't deserve you."

Nico caught his lips in a wild kiss.

Will felt his whole body heat up in a warm buzzing feeling that made him feel euphoric.

He returned the tongue play, laughing quietly when they surfaced for air.

"You're not mean or nasty, Nico."

His boyfriend raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps a bit…temperamental." Will admitted.

The son of Hades threw back his head and laughed, giggling as Will kissed his cheek.

"But I love you, and I can't imagine my life without you."

Nico sighed happily, barely looking up when Annabeth poked her head in.

"Alright, you two lovebirds, time to go!"

They loaded their bags into the back of the car, Will looking at Nico in surprise as he picked them up with ease. Just minutes ago he'd barely been able to stand up.

Instead of locking himself in the bathroom like Will expected, Nico had just sniffed, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and continued to eat calmly. Then he had started joking around with Percy. The son of Poseidon had acted like someone was poking him with a stick of dynamite at first, but soon he was laughing hysterically and clapping Nico on the back so hard Will had flinched.

Nico had appeared shocked by the words that came out of his own mouth, and had smothered his laughter with his hand, blushing adorably. He had stared at Will helplessly for half a second, then he'd jump onto his lap and start to cuddle with anyone who came near.

The others simply seemed amused, all except Percy that is.

He'd always glance at Nico with a sort of confused half smile, then look away quickly, almost guiltily. But when Will had seen Percy try to approach him, Nico had listened intently, cocked his head like a bird, then he had pulled the other boy's jeans down, and ran away cackling.

Now Nico had his head leaning on Will's shoulder as Percy drove around town and discussed with his girlfriend. Jason had his eyes closed and his brow scrunched up like he was in pain, or just in deep thought. And Leo was currently whining and squirming as Nico stroked his hair and held him down in his lap like a puppy.

Will had failed to persuade his boyfriend to release the poor boy.

Leo huffed and finally relaxed, letting Nico play with his curly hair.

As soon as he stopped struggling, Nico released his chokehold on him and grinned delightedly.

"That's a good boy! Who's my little Chihuahua?"

Leo wailed.

"Percy! Stop laughing or you'll kill us all!" Piper scolded.

Will sighed. This was going to be a long ride.

But even as Nico threaded one of the curls in Leo's hair around his fingers, his eyes suddenly focused and his hands stilled. The son of Hades turned to glance at Will, blinking slowly, as if awaking from a deep sleep.

"Are you okay?" Will asked, worried.

He nodded once, slowly, then again, surely.

He tightened his fingers almost unknowingly.

Leo winced. "Ow! Your little Chihuahua is gonna' bite you!"

Nico slapped his back and pushed him up, blushing, much to the other boys grumbling and apparent dismay. Nico coughed and reddened even more as Leo smirked at him, wiggling his eyebrows. Will in turn rolled his eyes at the son of Hephaestus.

"Leave my boyfriend alone." Will said, pulling Nico to him.

Leo sniffed. "He messed up my hair."

Will grinned. "Don't act like you didn't like that."

"Stop! Will!" Nico complained hiding his face in his hands.

Jason turned back to look at him, a fond expression on his face. "You're sure acting weird today."

Nico glanced at the rearview mirror where Percy's worried sea-green eyes met his.

"EYES ON THE ROAD, JACKSON!" Piper commanded, a tinge of panic in her voice. Charmspeak laced her words and the son of the sea god immediately glued his eyes forward.

Annabeth laughed. "I wish I could do that."

Percy complained loudly, but didn't take his eyes off the road.

Nico faced Will. "Was I really…that weird?"

Will took his boyfriends hand, tracing patterns on the soft olive toned skin. "Nah. You painted Piper's nails and you kissed Jason's belly button, and you taught Annabeth how to line dance."

Nico looked horrified.

Will narrowed his eyes at him. "What's going on? Don't you remember doing those things?"

"Of course I do!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I just…I didn't think that I was acting…weird." He finished lamely.

Will kissed his jaw line and dropped onto his shoulder. He knew Nico was lying. The realization made his skin prickle with fear. Nico was hiding something. Something important. He didn't like the way Nico broke eye contact with a look of shame on his face, or the way he glanced at Percy pleadingly as if asking for something impossible.

Or when the son of Poseidon would laugh and make some excuse to steal his boyfriend away and talk in hushed tones.

He didn't want to press Nico for answers, and he definitely did not want to approach Percy. That only left one person he could talk to.

Annabeth.

? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ? ﾟﾌﾊ?

Ideas?


	18. Chapter 18

"Okay. Would you rather… get killed by evil Percy, evil Jason, or evil Annabeth?" Nico asked, looping a strand of Will's blond hair around his finger.

His boyfriend tapped a nervous rhythm against Nico's thigh, probably taking a second to evaluate the consequences of his answers.

"Ehm…um, evil Jason. Yeah, definitely."

Leo snickered from his seat next to Piper. Nico and Will had taken permanent residence in the back seat, and Jason had chosen to go back to sit with them after they stopped for gas, and a bathroom break.

Now the old praetor stopped gazing out the window to raise an eyebrow. "Care to explain yourself, Solace?"

Will gulped, fidgeting in his spot between Nico's legs. "Hahaha…ehm, no offense Jason. I just think that out of all of these people, you're the least likely to turn into a bloodthirsty killer or a sadistic maniac."

Jason brightened. "Oh!"

The bus exploded in a tremendous uproar.

Will turned a sickly shade of green, and he covered his face with his hands, looking up at Nico upside down.

"Help me!" he whispered frantically.

Nico chuckled, marveling as he always did at the utter blueness in his lover's gaze.

He decided to intervene. "Alright guys, be quiet. It's Piper's turn."

They all settled in an expectant silence.

"Hmm…Annabeth! Kiss Kill or Marry, Nico, Leo, or… Jason."

Nico leaned back to see Annabeth in the front passenger seat, looking up from her book with mild surprise. She had her hair tied back in a messy bun and her bare feet were propped up on the dashboard. She grinned, a bit nervously.

"Wow, okay. Kiss Nico, marry Leo, and…I guess I'd kill Jason."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Great. What's _your_ excuse?"

"I don't want Nico to suffer in a marriage with me, but I figured he could tolerate a kiss. I wouldn't mind being married to Leo, we could have a few Mexican babies, and I simply don't like you as much, Jason."

She said this with a completely nonchalant expression.

Nico snorted.

Before Jason could sputter something dignified, Percy interrupted, amused. "She didn't mean it. She's reading John Green. Always puts her in a bad mood."

Leo grinned at the rear-view mirror. "I don't know, I'm up for a few Mexican babies."

"Shut up, Valdez."

Nico was startled out of the conversation when Will reached up and took Nico's hands out of his hair and kissed his knuckles. He felt that uncomfortable, yet pleasant blush that rose to his cheeks. It surprised him that Will could still make him blush, after all this time, by the simplest gesture.

"I love you, my Nico."

There was such tenderness in his voice, almost like he was hurting. Was that what love was? This happy ache in his chest?

"I… I love you too, Will." _So much it hurts._

Nico looked away, not being able to bear with his emotions, not when they were raw and written plainly on his face for everyone to see. Will shuffled in his arms, nudging his legs farther apart until Nico glanced at him curiously, just to have his boyfriend's lips pressed against his own.

Nico's skin burned. Burned at the contact.

He pulled Will closer, needing more. More heat, more lips, more skin, more _Will_.

"I really don't want to interrupt, but…this is a bit awkward…No? Okay. Just ignore me."

Will pulled away, smiling and fixing his shirt from where Nico had grabbed it. Nico tucked his legs in as his boyfriend sat down, blushing slightly again. Will shot a sheepish grin at Jason, who naturally was the one that complained earlier.

Nico brushed his hair out of his face, a smile on his face.

"You both are _so_ cute." Piper said, twisting around to look at them.

Jason made an ugly noise. "Not when Will's butt is in your face."

Will chuckled.

Nico rested his head on Will's shoulder, closing his eyes and only hearing the soft rumble of the motor and the tires on the road.

In the silence, the hungry rumble of someone's stomach was exceptionally loud.

Percy laughed embarrassedly. "Um. That was me. Do you think we could stop somewhere to eat?"

Annabeth snorted in laughter.

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"Do you think our boyfriends are acting weird?"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, taking her sandwich with a smile from the lady.

"Really Will? You know our boyfriends."

Will sighed, glancing at the lady, her name tag said Jenn. "I'll have a Veggie Delite and some orange juice, thank you."

He turned towards Annabeth again. "I mean, other than Percy's usual weirdness and Nico's mood swings. Though that should be taken into consideration as well."

"Into consideration? Will, you need to relax." She walked back towards the table with the guys, then spun on her heel and led him away, putting the bag down on the counter. "Although, Percy is definitely hiding something. I little bit more questioning, and I'll break him."

Will stared. "It scares me the way you talk about your boyfriend."

"Oh, he knows I love him. And Nico has definitely been acting weird, like he's on drugs or something."

Will worried at his bottom lip, glancing over at the table where their friends were laughing.

"Should I just leave them? Or…"

Annabeth glanced over as Nico nervously approached Jenn. The poor woman looked bored out of her mind. His boyfriend just looked nervous. He quickly scanned the menu.

"Uhh…could I have the Kid's Meal? Turkey breast, please."

She smiled. "Of course, sugar."

Nico blinked.

Percy cackled, slinging his arm over Nico's shoulders and dragging him away before he could gape at Jenn any longer.

"I do not look like a child!"

"Bro, you ordered a Kid's Meal."

 _"_ _And?"_

Will jumped out of his skin when a voice said, right next to his ear. "Don't tell anyone, but I was looking through Percy's stuff, and he definitely has some type of drug in there."

" _What?"_

The annoying scrawny Latino was looking seriously at the both of them, sipping lemonade with a straw.

"Why would you go through his stuff?" Annabeth demanded.

Leo shrugged, placing his lemonade down and hooking his thumbs behind his suspenders. "I was going to exchange his shampoo with Jason's."

Will raised an eyebrow. "And the purpose of that is…?"

"Oh come on! They would hate that!"

"Okay, okay. Whatever. We need to talk. In private. NOW." Annabeth grabbed Will's and Leo's arms and dragged them both to the girl's bathroom. They both protested profusely, but were dragged inside nonetheless. She shoved them in the biggest stall and silenced them with a glare, her hands on her hips.

"Stop complaining. You're both gay."

Leo frowned. "You might be confusing me with a slightly more muscular, a bit paler, way scarier, and not as awesome Italian?"

Will frowned. "Nico's pretty awesome."

"Guys! Focus!" Annabeth stepped forward, causing them both to flinch back against the pretty pink tile. "Leo, what do you mean 'drugs'? Drugs like medical drugs? Or recreational drugs?"

Leo looked puzzled, wincing as the bathroom door opened. He hissed, "How am I supposed to know? Because I'm Mexican? Stereotypes, Annabeth, Really? Out of all people—

"Be quiet! How did it look?"

Will glanced anxiously to the bathroom stall. Was there anybody in the bathroom?

Leo sighed, as if finally realizing the seriousness of the matter. He ran his hand through his curly hair. "It was a needle, a 'syringe' or whatever. It had like, seven little vials full of this weird purple liquid. Two of the vials were empty. You really think he's using?"

Annabeth bit her lip, letting her head fall back against the door. She stared up at the ceiling.

Will tried to reassure her. "Percy doesn't seem like the type to take drugs. Heck, I don't think he'll even drink that much."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'll just ask him." She froze as a different voice called out, "Annabeth?"

Leo quietly hopped up on the toilet.

Will perched his butt on the handrail meant to help handicapped women and pushed back on Leo's thigh with his feet. He almost fell.

"Err…Piper! I'll be right there. Almost done." Annabeth called out.

"Alright. Your sandwich is getting cold. Oh and Will, Nico picked up your sandwich for you."

Will cursed.

"Leo? Percy already ate most of your sandwich."

"Aww."

"He really likes that sauce you put on it."

Leo stuck out his bottom lip and looked at Annabeth. Will hopped off the handrail, rubbing his rear.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and unlocked the door. Smiling at the elderly woman who blanched as they exited. "C'mon guys, Piper won't tell. And Leo, stop pouting. Percy will buy you a new one."

? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ? ﾟﾍﾞ?

"Perce, I think we should start looking for a hotel." Annabeth glanced worriedly from her yawning boyfriend to the setting sun.

"What? No, no…just a couple more hours and…and…"

Nico sighed. "…and we'll crash, burn, and _die_."

That last word seemed to wake him up, Nico noted with tired satisfaction. Percy nodded once and turned over at the nearest hotel sign.

"C'mon guys. We can go to bed in there." Piper roused everyone up and they stumbled out of the van.

Once inside they asked for two rooms and crowded inside the elevator.

Annabeth clapped her hands. "Tomorrow we'll be in New York, cheer up! I'll stay with Percy."

"We'll stay with you." Nico volunteered, reassured by Will's tired smile.

"And we'll take Leo." Jason looped his arm around the shorter boy's neck and ruffled his hair. Leo huffed. "I am _so_ not in the mood for your nasty noise—

"OKAY." Piper interrupted. "We should be going. Night!"

Nico chuckled and led his boyfriend inside. He looked to be asleep on his feet.

Once Nico managed to pry open one of the doors inside their hotel room, Will immediately collapsed on their bed, pulling Nico down with him.

Nico squeaked. "Will!"

"Sleep with me."

Nico reddened. "I have to go to…t-to the bathroom first."

"No."

Seriously? Nico struggled, but Will's hands just tightened around him. Will was too tired to restrain him for long though, and Nico wiggled out of his grasp, brushing their lips together for half a second.

"Be right back, love."

Will gazed at him through his lashes, smiling a bit.

Nico felt the undeniable weight of guilt in the pit of his stomach as he went to find Percy. He'd only have to lie to him for a couple of days, and then they could be happy and sleep together all they wanted.

He took a deep breath as he silently closed the door behind him.

Just a few more days.

He told himself that as he twisted over the sink in the hotel bathroom.

This bathroom wasn't as fancy as the other one, but it wasn't dirty either. The self-conscious feeling of exposing his lower back and part of his ass to Percy hadn't disappeared completely, but he was just so tired, he wanted to get it over with.

He glanced at the time, 1:35.

"Percy? C'mon."

His friend was swabbing his back with a cotton ball but he stopped now.

"How about instead of doing this—

"Percy. I've tried everything. It won't work."

"But what if we worked out, you know? Trained and stuff until you were so tired that you just dropped dead. No dreams, no nightmares, no nothing. Yes? Just indulge me. Please? For me?"

Percy was already pulling down his shirt and cleaning the syringe as if it was already decided. He turned to look pleadingly down at Nico, and Nico found himself hesitating.

"I…I don't know…" But he never could say no to Percy.

A few minutes later, they were both behind the hotel in front of the pool hacking away at each other. Percy had told his girlfriend, and Nico had poked his head into their own room just to see Will snoring softly.

"Ow! You bastard."

"No name calling, Nico."

"Fine. You little girl."

"Really? Take _that_ then."

Nico dodged Percy's swing and replied with a strike of his own. The sound of bronze on iron sang across the quiet night and the whispering trees. They had both stripped down to the waist and Nico was enjoying the way his muscles screamed and throbbed comfortably.

Percy was grinning wickedly, all traces of sleep gone, and Nico knew that the focused glint in his sea-green eyes mirrored the one in his own eyes.

Nico's ankle teetered dangerously off the edge of the pool and he swiped down viciously to guard Percy off while he regained his balance.

Percy chuckled, feinting to the right. Nico caught the movement and retaliated.

They continued on for what seemed like forever, neither faltering for long. Nico was just beginning to feel the exhausting creeping in his limbs, when he felt familiar eyes watching him.

He turned. "Will, I—

His sword clattered out of his hand, leaving his wrist smarting. Nico narrowed his eyes at Percy, who tossed his sword into the pool and let Nico tackle him.

"Can I have a break?" He panted. "To talk to Will?"

Percy twisted him around, slamming his bare back onto the concrete. Nico's lower back flared with pain and tears sprung to his eyes. Percy noticed, and he finally faltered.

Nico couldn't help but use his weakness against him.

He brought his knee up to Percy's stomach, hard. He saw his breath leave his lungs, and his eyes widen in surprise. Nico took the opportunity to swing the bigger boy on his back.

A small part of his brain hoped there wasn't any glass underneath Percy as he felt the pebbles and gravel fall off his own, sweaty back.

Will was forgotten.

All he could see was Percy…and the best way to cause him pain so that he could win.

Percy growled, sensing the competitive feeling that surged through Nico's body.

Before Nico could act, the son of Poseidon kicked Nico away. Away and up and over Percy's body to come crashing upside down against the rusted metal fence.

Nico grunted, scrabbling forwards to launch himself at Percy's back.

Percy grunted and stood shakily back onto his feet. Nico hung uselessly on his back, hooking his legs on Percy's hips so he wouldn't strangle the boy.

"Truce?" Nico gasped.

"N-Not yet."

Percy turned, and jumped into the pool.

Nico's yell was cut short as water flooded into his throat.

He choked.

Panicked.

Limbs, water, bubbles, tile, pain, flailing, choking, choking, ch-ock-in—

Choke—

His limbs felt like lead, even when adrenaline shot into his bloodstream and gave him a new burst of energy. He felt hands on his waist, and suddenly his head broke the water.

He coughed, clinging to the hands that gripped at his arms until he was pulled completely out of the water.

He felt that familiar feeling of shame and embarrassment that he had grown used to whenever he made a fool out of himself like this.

But Will just laughed, "You look like a kitten someone dumped in a puddle."

Percy climbed out of the pool and Nico didn't miss the way his legs trembled slightly. The sight would have given him more satisfaction if he wasn't practically causing his boyfriend to tip over in an attempt to remain standing.

"Will…sorry. Did we wake you?"

His boyfriend laughed again. "No, it's okay."

Percy merely concentrated and he was dry. Nico shot him a dark look and his friend caught the hint. He dried him off too.

"Yeah, sorry Solace. Nico is such a crybaby." Percy teased, referring to Nico's half-scream as they dived into the water.

"Am not."

"Dorks." Will shook his head and started to lead them inside.

His hair was tousled, as if he'd dragged his head off his pillow, and his eyes were slightly unfocused with sleep. He was also wearing that soft smile that he always wore when he was sleepy, a smile that suggested he was already dreaming.

Nico tended to lean towards the grumpy side.

He winced as he remembered his glaring and wailing in the mornings.

Percy interrupted his thoughts with a groan.

"Aw…geez Nico, I'm in so much pain right now."

Nico managed to grin at him.

"I'm serious. I have bruises in places I can't even feel."

Nico rolled his eyes, reluctantly pulling away to scan Percy's keycard so they could get inside the hotel.

"Oh, shut up. You kicked me into that fence."

Nico smothered a yawn, triggering the two boys to do the same. He fought down the urge to giggle at the sight.

"Yeah, but at least I repaid you with a bath."

Will opened the door to their room and caught Nico as he stumbled in. He felt as if he'd spent hours in the midst of battle without rest. But Percy was worse than any monster he could be fighting, and the son of Poseidon had been merciless.

But Nico was satisfied to see that, like him, Percy seemed to be having trouble standing up too.

Nico gathered up his courage as Percy lumbered over to the fridge and Will collapsed next to him on the couch.

"Um…Percy? Do you think…" He swallowed nervously. "Do you think you could, maybe…t-teach me how to swim? W-when you have time, I mean…"

Will stirred and looked at him with surprise.

He avoided his gaze.

Gods, he felt stupid. Terrified at the prospect of being in the water.

Pathetic.

He was no Ghost King. He was terrified of sleeping and swimming and even —

"Sure! Don't worry, it'll be fun." Percy then glanced at Will and his expression changed a little. "Err…if that's okay with Will, I mean."

Nico blinked. What?

He turned his confused gaze to Will, who merely wrapped him up in an angry hug and stomped out of the room. Nico protested meekly, squirming slightly in his arms, but he was discouraged by his boyfriend's gaze.

What was wrong?

Will set him down on their shared bed and Nico soon forgot their conversation as Will's lips caught his own in a soft kiss. His heart lurched and he felt his pulse quicken.

His lips were soft, smooth, and dry and they moved over his expertly.

Nico sighed as they separated, Will pulling back reluctantly.

It always felt as if Will took a little piece of Nico away with him whenever he ended a kiss.

"I'm sorry Nico…I guess I'm feeling a bit…"

Will stared at him as if he could convey his thoughts into Nico just by looking.

Nico waited, loving the way Will's body felt on top of him but worried about his boyfriend.

"…you haven't been having nightmares anymore, right? Not lately?"

Nico frowned at the change of topic and fought down a yawn. Wow. He really _was_ tired.

"No. I'm…I'm okay. You?"

Nico's eyelids shut, and for the life of him, he couldn't remember Will's answer.

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REVIEW MY BELOVED PEOPLE!


	19. Chapter 19

I got a PM from a reader and I was like, "OH, CRAP." Because, the truth is, my beautiful people, that I am a procrastinating potato. I have finally figured out how exactly I will end this fanfiction.

I think the answer had been hiding in the dark recesses of my soul since I began this piece.

But I, the cowardly Jackalope, has buried his head in a drift of sand and refused to write. But I have decided to trudge towards the ending. Help me beautiful readers...REVIEW!

…

Nico didn't remember his nightmare.

He only knew that he woke up shaking and drenched in sweat, but not bleeding or obviously injured.

He'd opened his eyes to find Will's arms around him, Nico lying between his legs while his boyfriend sat, propped up against the wall.

Nico had been terrified that the blond had managed to spot the scar around his ankle, or the bruising in his lower back, but no. Will had just smiled at him sleepily, and buried his nose in Nico's sweaty head.

"You okay?"

Nico's breath fluttered in his chest like a frightened bird.

"Yes. _Yes_. I-I don't remember."

Will kissed his sweaty locks that curled above his ear. Then his temple. Then the shell of his ear, and down to his earlobe.

Nico swallowed hard, more heat rushing down his body.

Will bit that soft part of his ear, his tongue licking him softly.

Nico moaned.

His thoughts scattered and his fingers dug into Will's bare thighs.

"Gods, Will…"

Will chuckled, planting one last kiss on his shoulder.

Nico squirmed to look at him.

"I love you."

Will smiled like he always did when Nico said that. He pushed them down, so they were lying together, their backs against the wall.

"I love you too, Nico."

Another lingering kiss on his neck.

Nico suddenly felt his eyes tear up. He blinked them back frowning. Why was he always so ready to cry these days? Nico never cried.

He thought about the last few days.

Well, when he wasn't under the influence of drugs bought from an old demigod woman who lived in a shack.

Maybe it was just that.

*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*

"And for my next trick, I will have transformed Nico di Angelo _completamente_." Piper glanced at Leo. "Did I say that right?"

The Latino gave her a thumbs up.

Nico really shouldn't have been surprised when the velvety purple curtains of the changing room flew open just as he finished zipping up his pants.

"A little warning?" He grumbled, looking more than a little disgruntled as his friend pulled him out.

Nico found it hard to meet the eyes of his friends as they all quieted. Oh, why had he ever agreed to this?

A couple of days after they left the hotel, Piper and Percy had been fawning over the stores in this particular part of New York city, and everyone else had eventually decided that a bit of shopping couldn't hurt. One look at the prices, and Nico had argued rather loudly that it _could_ hurt. Hurt very much.

And then Jason had helpfully commented, Isn't your dad also the god of riches? And, don't you have your own personal credit card with an interminable amount of cash?

And Nico had retorted, to his boyfriend's shocked gaze, that, "Just because you have money, doesn't mean you should take the liberty to buy frivolous crap."

After he had delivered that wise piece of advice, Nico had found himself walking through the mall for probably the first time in his life. Despite himself, the son of Hades eyed every store they passed, and turned at every new smell that wafted by him. He could feel Will's eyes on him as they walked, but Nico didn't comment on it. He was too engrossed in looking through the window panes at all the pretty objects they were selling.

And then Piper had dragged him aside, saying:

"Oh my gods, Nico. You absolutely _need_ to let me give you a makeover… maybe some shoes, some new clothes, and I will have you looking like a completely different person."

Perhaps it was her charmspeak, or the way her kaleidoscope eyes sparkled merrily, or maybe it was just the fact that a small part of Nico was…well, curious.

But oh, he regretted it greatly when, minutes later, she had shoved clothes into his arms and pushed him into a changing room. After a few seconds, she had rushed in there and attacked him with a hairbrush and some chap-stick.

He hated her.

He could see a crowd gathered outside the changing room. Probably attracted by the shouts and yells Nico produced, or the shrieks Piper released as her chap-stick went flying.

Okay, maybe he didn't _hate_ her.

He looked up at his friends, ready to glare or run if needed.

But instead, Percy whistled.

" _Damn_ , Nico…"

A glare did not rise to his face. It was a blush that did. And an angry scowl.

He glanced at the mirror. He didn't look all that different. But Piper was sitting there with a proud smile on her face like she just finished carving the statue of David. The others stared at him like he'd actually walked out a different person.

The evil daughter of Aphrodite had dressed him in a black V-neck cotton shirt. Dark blue jeans that were tight, but not uncomfortably so, yet tighter than he was used to. The short sleeves somehow managed to compliment his arms so they didn't look like the spindly twigs they usually looked like, but instead highlighted his otherwise barely noticeable muscles.

His hair didn't cover his eyes like it frequently did, but instead it was swept to the side, the ends curling nicely at the nape of his neck.

He turned back to his friends, deciding to keep the scowl.

Jason had removed his glasses, supposedly to clean them. Annabeth's eyebrows were dangerously close to receding behind her hairline. Percy was grinning stupidly at him. Leo was chuckling, idiotically jabbing his elbow into Will's side.

Will had an expression that made Nico's blush intensify.

He cleared his throat. "Ehm…how do I look?"

Will licked his lips, and copied Percy's cheeky grin. "Like sex on legs."

Leo and Percy howled with delight, Jason looking surprised while Annabeth and Piper failed to smother their giggles.

Nico's face burned.

"S-Shut up."

He turned away. Couldn't he just say he looked nice?

Will was sure getting more daring. He didn't know if he liked it or not.

Will's arms wrapped around his waist before he could take another step. He rested his chin on Nico's shoulder.

"Really Nico, you look great. Gorgeous."

Yep, he liked it.

Nico smiled, embarrassed but pleased. How could Will make him feel so shy and daring, so embarrassed and confident, so sad and depressed, yet exulting and content with just one look?

He smiled at him, pulling away gently.

"We…we should go. To camp, right?"

Percy wiped a fake tear away, smirking obnoxiously. "Yep."

They made their way down the labyrinth that was the mall, Leo stopping to get some 'churros' while Annabeth insisted they stop at the bookstore.

Nico watched the blond make her way past the aisles while her boyfriend looked wistfully at the kid's section. He turned towards Jason. A thought had just occurred to him.

The blond was cautiously trying his friends weird candy and showing his approval when he turned his attention towards Nico.

Luckily, the chatter around them was just that. Pleasant conversation with no need for volume. They could hear each other just fine.

"Hey, Jason…" Nico began, "…shouldn't we be worried about attracting monsters? We have three children of the big Three in our group, and some pretty powerful demigods. You know, like that attack that happened in Florida?"

Jason mimicked his frown. "Well, before the war, definitely. But have you noticed that the monsters have settled down, some? Last incident…well, let us just say that _that_ monster was provoked."

He had a grim look on his face.

But it was erased quickly enough when Piper bounded towards him with a book in hand.

They left when Percy began with, "Look Annie! They have this coloring book with sea creatures in them. They even let you have these sparkly crayons…"

.

Once in the car, it was Nico's turn to be wedged between Jason and Piper. Will smiled at him from the front passenger seat as Annabeth and Leo began bickering about some structure or another.

They settled onto the comfortable rhythm of wheels rolling on smooth pavement.

Nico stared at the back of Will's head, thinking about the mess of emotions he had felt back at the mall. He loved the way he felt around him, but…it hurt too.

He glanced at Piper.

"Hey…Piper?"

"No need to thank me Nico. Although, I'm glad you did. You look hot."

He rolled his eyes.

"No. Um, can I ask you a question?"

She turned to face him, tucking her legs under her and resting her elbow on the head of the seat. She stared at him, scrutinizing. Suddenly he was reminded of how powerful Piper truly was. She might act all superficial, and fawning over her friends, but underneath, Piper was hard. And tough.

"Sure, Nico."

The music in the car suddenly spiked loudly.

Nico raised an eyebrow. Could she have…? Nah.

"Um…" This was going to be harder to get out than he'd thought. "I, uh…well, you know when you're with Jason?" Great. Nico came off like a creep. "How…How do you feel?" Gods. Niiice, Nico.

Piper gave him a funny look.

"Is everything okay between you too?"

He blushed. "Yes, yes…it's just that, well…do you feel 'scared' sometimes?"

Piper frowned, alarmed. "Nico…does this have to do with the injuries all over your body? Don't tell me…is Will? Is—

"No! No…what?! Why does everyone think that?" Nico said loudly, dismayed and frankly a bit outraged. "Will would never…he's not like that. He doesn't even look threatening o-or imposing or abusive or—

"I know; I know…but Nico we can't help but wonder." Piper lowered her voice, glancing at Will's bright curly head. "You two started dating so quickly, and then you two were inseparable. Then, you started sleeping together and like, a month later…you started waking up with bruises and scratches. And we can all hear you screaming Nico."

Nico stared. Stunned.

"And I know, Will is so happy all the time. And he smiles and laughs and ultimately, he's a less sarcastic and moody Leo. But if being a demigod has taught us one thing, it's to not trust appearances."

Nico glared.

It made sense. But he just couldn't…

"I'm a demigod too. I went through Tartarus by myself, and I've fought more monsters than I can count. I _can_ defend myself. And I know how to make rational decisions. I don't need you people looking over my shoulder and deciding that I can't live my own life with the people I want."

Piper winced.

Jason looked over, his attention drawn by Nico's tone.

He forced himself to calm down.

"I'm not a child."

The daughter of Aphrodite pinched the bridge of her nose. " _I_ _know_. I guess…it's just that it's easier to believe _that_ , than whatever else might be happening." She made a face of disgust. "I'm thinking like a mortal."

Nico couldn't focus on the words of the song playing. But he could hear Percy and Will singing off-key while the rest of their friends were eerily silent. He looked at Piper again.

She twirled one of her braids between her fingertips.

"No, Nico. I never feel afraid of Jason."

"That's…that's not what I meant."

He glared his frustration. "I mean, not afraid for him. More…afraid _for_ him? Or…or of what's to come? Like when you finish kissing or whatever," He wanted to go back to Tartarus. Maybe submerge himself in one of Tartarus' big pimples. "You feel this dread. And this sense of foreboding."

Nico rubbed his eyes. The bass was making the van tremble.

"And when he smiles at me, I just feel so happy inside. So lucky, you know? But then he laughs or hugs me or does something dorky, I…I feel like I want to cry."

So embarrassing.

Why did he have to pour out his feelings to poor Piper?

He pressed his fists against his eye sockets.

"AND NO I WON'T BE NO STICK FIGURE BARRRBIE DAWWL…"

Nico opened his eyes.

"SO IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE INTO THEN GO 'HEAD AND MOVE ALOOONG."

Meghan Trainer's voice crooned, barely perceptible, under the warbling howls of two teenage boys.

Nico stared.

Will threw back his head. "I'm bringing booty baack…" He drew out the 'back', rising higher in pitch until he sounded just like a girl.

Percy removed one hand from the steering wheel to make a horrifyingly sassy motion. "Go 'head and tell then skinny bitches thaaat…Naw, I'm just playing I know you're thinking faat…"

Will's legs hit the dashboard. "BUT I'M HERE TO TELL YA, every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top."

It wasn't funny. Not even Leo was laughing. It was so disgusting, Annabeth had an expression of profound horror on her face. Comparable only to the face she must have worn while facing Arachne herself.

"Guys… _please_ …" Leo pleaded.

Annabeth scrambled up and shut the radio off.

Much to the boy's dismay.

"Annie, why? I finally found someone who shares my love." Percy turned and gave Will such a look, Nico would have been jealous if he didn't know Percy was an idiot.

Will nodded wildly. "Dude, Meghan Trainor is a princess. That song is _life_."

Annabeth shook her head just as wildly. "No. NO. I think Nico's _crying_."

"What? My baby?" Will twisted around in his seat and Nico shot him a dirty look. He wasn't crying. Not _yet_.

Percy sighed exaggeratedly. "Y'all just don't know how to recognize true beauty. Will's golden soprano, with my sexy tenor, and that gorgeous song—

"STOP TALKING." Piper commanded.

Percy shut up, whining deep in his throat in complaint.

In the blessed silence that followed, Leo winked at Annabeth. "I think your boyfriend might be gay for the other blond."

Percy stuck out his tongue at the Latino and Will chuckled.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, a smile flickering at the edge of her lips.

Jason frowned, quickly glancing at the dark-haired son of Poseidon before looking away out the window again.

What was wrong with him?

Before he could further contemplate asking him, and judging whether the boy would just smile at him reassuring him or actually tell him, Piper broke him out of her thoughts.

"No, Nico…I've never felt like that. But maybe you should ask someone more experienced? You should definitely seek help."

Will's shoulders tensed. He turned his head to look at him, worriedly.

Nico looked away from his blue eyes, nodding once at Piper in thanks.

She seemed reluctant to speak again, but she forced the words out. "Nico…have you ever considered the fact that maybe you're—

"Um! Could we maybe talk about this later?" Nico said, painfully aware of how well they could be heard now that the boys weren't tearing their lungs out.

Her eyes widened. Then she smiled. "Alright."

They were at Camp.

REVIEW


	20. Chapter 20

But Percy turned the car around, straight into the nearest gasoline station.

"What?"

"Percy, no!"

"Why?"

Percy held up a hand for silence as he climbed out of the car. "I…need to pee."

Everyone groaned.

They all headed inside, taking advantage to buy some things. Necessities and snacks and weird little trinkets, (Leo).

Nico took the advantage to follow Percy into the bathroom.

Percy glanced back at him, realization turning his features.

"Another injection?'" Percy said in dismay.

"Yes. Please?"

"B-But the side effects! Nico, you were practically stripping on the balcony!"

He flushed.

"It'll be worth it! She said to take one every day for a week and I will never get those type of nightmares again. Please Percy? I swear that if it gets any worse I'll stop."

The son of Poseidon worried his bottom lip and stared at him.

"Please? I can't do it myself."

After a second, Percy groaned. "UGH. How am I supposed to resist that face?"

Abruptly, he grabbed his face and showed it to the cashier, who blinked.

"Stop it!" Nico hissed, swatting his hands away and pushing him towards the bathroom.

If they would've waited a second longer they would've seen Jason looking at them, perplexed, before following them in.

The bathroom was dirty, to say the least. The smell was horrendous and the walls were painted a sickly green, as well as the sinks, the latter which probably wasn't intentional.

Percy wrinkled his nose. "Ew. Okay, hurry, turn around."

"Not out here! What if someone walks in? We're going to look like a couple of gay druggies." Nico rambled nervously.

Percy snorted. "A couple of _sexy_ gay druggies."

His laughter was silenced by a glare from the other boy as Percy followed him into a stall, closing it securely.

Nico sighed, preparing himself for the sharp sting. He tried to push down the worry of side effects. His friends would take care of him, and the side effects weren't as bad as how he acted during his nightmares.

"Okay…should I do it in the same place or…?"

Nico shook his head, squeezing his way around so he didn't have to face the toilet and making Percy grumble. It was a close fit inside the tiny stall. He placed his palms flat against the door and jutted his hips out slightly. In any other situation, this would have been mortifying, but right now, all Nico was worried about was that they got this over as quickly and efficiently as possible.

He focused on the question. "I-I don't know… I guess so?"

Percy hummed in acknowledgement and pushed his shirt up, exposing his lower back. "Oh, damn Nico. You have a bruise where I last injected you. Is that normal? Did I do something wrong? Does it hurt?"

"I don't know. It doesn't hurt."

He could feel Percy gently touching his back, then pressing slightly. Nico hissed.

"Yes. _Yes_. It hurts."

"I-I guess I'll go lower then." Percy muttered something about being glad he wasn't a doctor. "Will should be doing this, Nico."

Before Nico could reply, his jeans slid down a couple inches and he reddened. "Percy, really?"

"Hahaha, even your butt blushes. I read somewhere that the butt is one of the best places to inject someone. You know, all the fat and muscle."

"You read?"

"…I saw it in a TV show. I think it was Supernatural."

Nico focused on a cuss-word someone had written on the bathroom stall as Percy swabbed a spot on his back with an alcohol soaked cloth that he had packed in his backpack. If both of them hadn't been so focused in their tasks they would have heard the door open. But they didn't.

"I'll just push it in. You ready?"

"Y-Yeah, go."

He felt a small prick.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, no, keep going."

He did and Nico felt the solution enter his bloodstream, if such a thing is possible.

It burned.

"Percy, stop."

"But it's almost in."

"F-F-Fine. Hurry." He whimpered, feeling lightheaded. His knees shook. Had last time hurt so much?

"Done. We're done. I got you."

He crumpled, but Percy held him up, holding him so he was leaning between Percy and the stall door.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

They didn't hear the door close as Jason sped away from where he had been standing, frozen.

Nico was breathing hard.

"T-Thank y-you, Percy."

"Gods, Neeks, don't thank me. I feel like I'm killing you."

Before Nico could formulate a reply, another deeper voice responded.

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU ARE."

Percy squeaked. He spun Nico around so that the son of Hades was between him and the toilet from where a dark figure had appeared. At least he was decent enough to keep his arm around his waist to hold him up.

Nico instinctively pressed back against him. Percy grunted.

"Your ass is hurting my crotch, Nico."

"Shut up!"

"I can't get my sword! What is that thing?"

"I don't know! Call the other—dad?"

The figure of darkness had folded and stretched to reveal the form of Hades, the god of the Underworld. Sitting his royal ass on the toilet.

He stared at them, unimpressed.

"Ah, yes. The Heroes of Olympus. Huddling in the corner of a bathroom."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Facing the god of the Underworld sitting on a dirty mortal toilet."

Nico pressed harder against him and he whimpered.

"D-Dad. Why are you—?"

"I came to tell both of you to stop this nonsense with the gorgon's blood. You're killing yourself, Nico. And unlike last time you tried, this time it's working."

Percy's arms stiffened.

"What? I-I never…" Nico stammered. "I d-didn't—

"You did," Hades said heavily. "But you don't remember."

Nico was shaking. His nails were digging into Percy's arms just like that other time in another day, another lifetime when the son of Poseidon had rescued him from drowning. But no one could rescue him now.

"I made you forget."

His words seemed to be coming from afar.

"I was…I was only trying to help, Nico. To save you. My…last son."

Nico pressed harder against Percy, wishing he could disappear.

"Why don't you enjoy this day? Go back to camp. I promise I will tell you everything, after today." He started to dissipate. "And…spend time with your boyfriend. Not this idiot."

He disappeared completely.

The boys stared at the toilet.

After a second, Percy spoke. "Maybe he's lying."

"…why would he lie?"

Percy gripped him tighter. "Um. I-I don't know. To mess with you."

Nico squirmed out of his grasp. "My dad isn't like that."

Percy studied him, probably deciding how to act. "…he said, 'you tried.' So it doesn't matter. You didn't go through with it."

Nico nodded, absently. His mind miles away. Percy frowned.

"Though he could have told us before I injected you again."

"It's okay, Percy. Let's get out of here."

? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ? ﾟﾘﾣ?

"Don't let go."

"I won't. Just relax, okay? Let yourself float. Like a frog. Imagine you're a frog."

"Don't let go!"

"I didn't!"

Will grinned as he watched them from the edge of the lake. Percy was having some trouble teaching Nico how to float. Nico had the expression of a drowned cat.

"If you drown my boyfriend, I'll kill you, Jackson!" Will announced.

Percy cursed. "Don't say that, Solace!"

Nico's head dipped below the water and Percy hauled him up, the son of Hades was clinging on to Percy's forearms. Spitting the water out of his mouth, he shakily let go of Percy with one hand, the other still grasped Percy's tightly.

He brushed his wet hair away from his face.

Nico was terrified.

Will could see his legs wrapped around the other boy's waist, something he would never have done if he wasn't scared out of his mind. Right? Those legs belonged on Will's waist, and Will's waist only.

"You let go." Nico said accusingly.

Percy shook his head. "Never."

"I hate you."

"Nico, no!"

Nico shot Will a miserable look. Will was trying not to laugh.

Nico glared at him, turning back to Percy.

Aw.

"Okay, again."

Nico took a deep breath. "I am not afraid. I am not afraid of fish, or alligators, or snakes, or monsters. I am the Ghost King. I am not afraid of the water, and I am not afraid of death. I want to die!"

Percy stared. "You sound like my P.E coach."

"Shut up. On my back."

Percy straightened him out on his back again, keeping a hand reassuringly on his lower back.

"I'm already dead. Corpses float, right?"

Percy blinked, "Um…so do frogs. Frogs are nice."

"Hush. Okay. L-Let go."

Percy did.

Nico sank like a stone.

Percy cursed, meeting Will's gaze. "I'm a leave him under there."

"Get him!"

Percy concentrated and Nico suddenly shot to the surface, trashing and clinging to Percy's neck, water running down his bare back as he coughed out some more water.

"P-Percy!" He coughed. "I…I fell."

"Yes, you did." He patted his back sympathetically. "You need to relax, Nico. You can't learn to swim without learning how to float. Like a frog-y. Or a puppy."

Nico whined, much like a puppy. "Take me back to Will."

"You're quitting, di Angelo?" Percy challenged.

Nico hesitated. "Can we practice in my bathtub?"

Percy laughed. "I'll take you up on that."

Nico glared. "That's not what I meant."

Percy grinned, then winced. "You've got strong legs, Neeks. If you let go of me down there, we can tread water like mermaids."

The son of Hades considered. "No."

Percy sighed, leaning dangerously close to Nico's face until Nico himself began descending into the water. Nico got that panicked look on his face.

"Percy. No. Stop. Jackson. No!"

Nico's nails clawed at Percy's back, straining to get his head out of the water.

"Ow, Nico! Damn, okay, okay!"

Nico punched him once they righted themselves, much to Will and Percy's shock.

"Take me to Will!"

"If you want him so bad, swim to him." Percy dared. "C'mon, Ghost King go get your boyfriend."

Nico bit his lip, glancing over at Will and the distance between them. He looked back at Percy.

"You can't possibly be scared of a little water." Percy taunted.

Nico's face was reddening rapidly.

Will felt his heart clench.

"Or you could stay here." Percy let Nico slip from his hands for a second. Nico yelped, his whole body shaking.

"You…you said you wouldn't drop me." Nico said in a soft voice, wavering.

Percy smiled, touching their foreheads together. "You don't need me, Nico. Go get blondie."

He turned him around, holding on to his waist and slowly letting go.

Nico grabbed onto his wrist. Turning to face Will, raw terror on his face. Will smiled encouragingly even though his gut was twisting.

He'd seen Nico fearlessly plunge into war and fight monsters with nothing more than a grimace on his face. Like taking out the trash. But here he was, about to cry over having to swim a couple of yards.

"Okay. Okay."

Percy nodded, whispering something else in his ear before slipping down into the water.

Nico trashed, then stilled, then trashed again and finally, he froze. He treaded water, glancing down in horror and then he slowly relaxed, before frantically and messily swimming over to Will.

Will waited, then scooped him out of the water. Startling as Percy jumped out right behind him.

"Hahaha, you did it!"

"Don't talk to me, Jackson."

"Okay."

After a second where Nico wiped the water from his face, he turned towards the son of Poseidon.

"Percy, wait."

The brunette stopped.

"Thank you."

Percy turned surprised. "Aw. No prob—

Nico hugged him.

Percy's eyes widened, glancing at Will incredulously before grinning and returning his hug.

"I know you were a horrible friend in the past but now you're really not. You're a g-great friend. And I'm sorry for scratching and punching you."

"Thank you…?"

Will chuckled.

Then Nico wrinkled his nose then. "I'm going to go shower now."

"Alright." Percy nodded. "Make sure you put a brick over the toilet."

The son of Hades rolled his eyes, smiling at Will's confusion. But he couldn't bring himself to explain and remember. Not now when Nico was glowing with his achievement, and still warm from Percy's hug.

Will studied him, wondering what the heck they were talking about.

Nico smiled, taking his hand after Will placed a towel around his shoulders. Percy had made sure there was no one around as they practiced, and the sun was still burning high overhead, warming Nico completely.

"You okay, darling?" Will asked, glancing down at their interlacing fingers.

"Yeah. Though I'm never going to swim again. Ever. Unless it's an emergency."

Percy poked his side and he was insta-dried

"Thanks."

Jason jogged up to them, smiling. But there was something in his smile that Nico couldn't quite put his finger on. Like the smile was forced. Faked. Nico had experience with those.

Percy was studying him too, uneasily.

"Hey guys, could I borrow Percy for a bit?"

The son of Poseidon paled, looking at them. "Say no."

Jason rolled his eyes, but he avoided Nico's gaze and he didn't even look at Percy. "I just need some help moving stuff in my cabin."

Percy grinned, uneasiness forgotten.

"I got you, bro. Bye Neeks! Bye, Will!"

Nico waited for them to fade out of distance before turning to Will. His boyfriend was looking at him ruefully.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just say what you're going to say."

"Um…I was thinking we should spy on them."

"I knew it." Will grinned. "C'mon."

They sneaked behind cabins, trees, and bushes. Nico used the shadows to hide them, and Will was vigilant, silent, and quick on his feet. At one point, the blonde pushed them behind a chariot, when Chiron galloped by, muttering about 'horseflies' and 'death' and 'Hermes cabin'.

Nico grinned as Will smothered his laughter.

What had he ever done to get an awesome boyfriend?

The son of Apollo looked at him gently, as if reading his mind. "What did I ever do to get such an awesome boyfriend?"

Nico blinked, then pressed his lips against Will's firmly. "I was just thinking that, myself."

Will's smile widened.

"Look! There are the boys."

They crept forward until they got to the open window of the Zeus cabin.

Percy's voice, incredulous and annoyed.

"No! What the hell, man? I'm just helping him. Not… not that."

Then Jason's. "Alright. I'm sorry. I just said that's what it sounded like."

"Nico and Will are happy. That would never happen. And I wouldn't do that! You know I love Annabeth."

Will looked at him in confusion, his lips parting.

Nico put a finger over them, mouthing. 'I'll explain later.' He had an idea of what they were talking about.

"I know man, okay? I'm sorry. But what is really going on? Why is Nico acting weird, and why have his nightmares stopped?"

Will stared at him, intently.

Nico swallowed and looked away. He could feel his heart beating in his ears.

What was Percy going to say?


	21. Short little thing

**To my lovely guest, your reviews are Awesome.**

 **Typhon coming out of the toilet. Thank you. I will remember you Lord Triton every time I look at a toilet.**

 **My Fandom lover, you are making me nervous.**

 **Kenny Fablehaven, Yes. There shall be more Jason.**

 **And, Heartfelt nostalgia, I'm so sorry! That was part of the side effects. You know, the drug. I'm sorry I wasn't clear enough.**

 **Everyone else…I love you and keep reviewing!**

"I can't tell you."

Jason began to protest.

"But Nico is fine, I swear. And I promise this will all be over soon. His nightmares will be gone, and he'll stop acting weird."

After a second, Percy added. "Well, not as weird as right now, but I can't guarantee he won't be regular Nico weird."

Nico frowned. He _wasn't_ weird.

Will smirked.

Nico pushed him.

"Okay." Jason said quietly.

They heard bedsprings creak. "I know something else is bothering you. Tell me."

Percy's voice was low and reassuring.

Nico peeked in through the window and had to freeze his laughter.

Jason was looking wide-eyed at the son of Poseidon, and Percy was leaning close to his face, scrutinizing him. They looked as if they were about to kiss. Will poked his head next to Nico's, grinning.

"They're so cute."

Nico sighed. "They're not gay, and they both have girlfriends. Stop shipping them."

Will gave him a sideways look. "You know what 'shipping' is."

Nico blushed.

Will grinned at him. "You're a secret fangirl."

"Shhh!'

"Percy…" Jason's gaze dropped down, then skittered back up again, his face slowly turning darker. The son of Poseidon frowned, his signature confused look becoming more intense as he cocked his head like a bird.

"Are you ok—

Percy's words were cut off as his lips were sealed with a kiss.

Nico gawked.

Will silently exulted.

"Holy shit! Get down, get down!" Nico hissed.

"No! I wanna see!" Will complained.

Percy's eyes were wide and surprised. Jason's were closed tight, his hands gripping Percy's bare shoulders. The brunette still had his fingers laced in the sheets and he made a strangled sound when Jason slid his tongue into his open lips.

Nico ducked down, covering his face with his hands.

What. The. Fuck.

Will was laughing softly, then his laughter cut off abruptly. "Nico. Piper's coming!"

Nico cursed as he saw that he blonde was right. "Run."

"What?" Will looked determined. "No! We must save my OTP!"

"Will!"

But his crazy boyfriend had jumped out of the bush, vaulting over the steps and making the daughter of Aphrodite scream.

"What the hell were you doing in there?!"

"Err…waiting for you, _Jason's girlfriend!_ I, um, wanted to ask you a question."

Nico glanced inside, hoping the boys had heard that.

Jason had pulled back, looking worriedly at the door, but there wasn't any particular panic in his expression or his actions. Percy was staring at him as if he's just declared himself pregnant.

Piper had her hand on her dagger, breathing hard from the scare Will had given her. Nico pulled the shadows tighter around himself.

"Okay. What's up?"

"Um…actually, I think I'll ask you later. Sorry for bothering you." Will hopped down the stairs, passing by Nico's hiding place, yanking him up.

"Hurry, sweetheart. We must flee."

"Dork."

They made their way back to the Hades cabin. Will was smiling.

Nico sighed. "I have no idea what just happened."

"Neither do I. But it was beautiful."

Nico looked at him, exasperated. Didn't he know that what they'd seen, wasn't just a simple kiss? Something was going on with Jason. Nico had been pretty sure he loved Piper. But Piper had confided in him that Jason was acting weird, alienating himself from her and staring into space.

Oh well.

He was pretty sure they would be able to resolve everything between then. Was someone going to get hurt? Nico didn't know.

Short little thing for you people. :)

(I'll update again soon, though. *cough* I mean, if you guys review. *cough*)Loooove youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..


	22. Chapter 22

**I had to rewrite this one because the freaking computer thing wouldn't let me upload it. But I like this version better so I hope you do too!** Thanks for the reviews!

...

Nico and Will both entered the cabin, Nico immediately heading towards his bathroom. He was just going to take a shower and then cuddle with Will.

Jason and Percy be damned.

Although…he was sure one of them was going to approach him soon.

He gauged the way he was feeling to determine whether he was going to be willing to attend to his friends necessities. he was leaning more towards no…but he knew that he would.

Sighing, he was broken out of his thoughts when Will's hesitant voice interrupted,

"Baby…is what Percy said true?"

Nico looked over his shoulder, feeling the familiar warmth at one of Will's nicknames.

"…yeah. It'll be over soon."

Will grabbed some clothes from Nico's closet and handed them to him. "Okay. So, there was never anything between you two?"

Nico laughed, heading into his bathroom.

He heard Will follow him in. Turning, he saw the serious, anxious look on the blonde's face.

He froze.

Wait…

The idiot wasn't kidding.

"Will, what? Of course not! How…I mean…w-what? I-I don't…?"

His boyfriend seemed to take that as an answer and grinned in relief. One step later and his arm was wrapped firmly behind Nico's waist, kissing him suddenly. After a second, Nico returned the kiss. His inner turmoil bubbled its way out of him with a single breathless laugh.

He felt a wild, exulting happiness in his chest, like a blooming flower.

And still, the veiled sadness behind his eyes like an insisting pressure that never left.

There was also that raging fire in the pit of his stomach, burning with lust and want.

Nico threw his arms around Will's neck, loving the way their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together. How Nico's slim waist was just the right size for his boyfriend's arm, and the way Will's hips were soft against his own and that the smile on Will's lips as he kissed him was just right.

Kissing him like this made Nico realized that for once, Nico didn't hate himself.

He couldn't hate his body because it was just perfect for Will.

He didn't hate the way he was because Will's hand was on the back of his head and his lips were pressing against his own and his tongue was dancing with Nico's.

The son of Hades grinned wildly.

He used the edge of the tub to jump on his boyfriend, breaking their kiss abruptly.

Will blinked stupidly at him as Nico's long legs wrapped around Will's waist.

"S-Sorry." Will stammered.

Nico crashed their lips together, quickly establishing his dominance.

Will moaned, loudly.

Nico's ears burned. His back was pressed against the wall.

"Not sorry. At all." He breathed.

Will chuckled, intensifying their kiss.

"Gods, Nico. You're so perfect." He moaned again and Nico decided he loved those moans.

"Far from it."

"No." Will broke away and looked intently into his eyes.

The smattering of freckles were glowing against his flushed cheeks. His lips were almost blood-red and swollen and his eyes seemed to be swirling with a thousand different emotions.

"No…" Will continued. "Perfect."

Nico grinned, blushing happily. He found himself believing him.

Before he could lose his courage, he said hurriedly, "Do…do you want to come in with me?"

His boyfriend stared at him, blinking.

Nico's face burned again. Oh gods. What if he said no? What if he laughed or made fun of him? Or what if he was grossed out? If-

Will studied his boyfriend.

Nico's throat went dry. "Y-You don't have to-

"No."

Nico froze. He felt mortified.

He said no.

But then Will spoke again, seeing the expression on Nico's face. "No, I meant…I DO want to. Gods, Nico. I know I don't have to. I want to. I do."

Nico's face was still burning. He looked at Will suspiciously.

The gesture made his boyfriend laugh. Will set him down cautiously and Nico regained his footing, biting his lip.

Will nuzzled him, still holding on to him tightly. "You're so cute."

The son of Hades sighed, but there was a smile on his face. He turned to turn on the shower head, heart pounding. He was actually going to do this. He was going to shower with Will Solace.

Wait…was that why Will had hesitated?

Did he think that Nico had meant something more?

Oh shit. Did he still think that?

What exactly did Nico mean when he said 'something more'?

What was Will expecting?

Nico forced those thoughts out of his mind. If he worried about it more, he was going to hyperventilate. It didn't matter. It was okay. This was just Will.

Just Will.

Just Will?

This was fucking Will Solace!

This was the boy that everyone knew at Camp! The one boy that yelled orders like a roman praetor when he was in the infirmary. The son of Apollo that had probably healed every single demigod at camp at least twice. From minor burns to decapitated limbs to the overuse of power that led to fatal fading. He merely walked across camp and received more than a dozen waves and greetings. Even hard-asses like Clarisse stopped to say hi.

But he was also the boy that made skeletons dance in his stomach.

The boy that made his blood rush and his heart-beat quicken.

The one who reduced the Ghost King into a gushy, stuttering mess.

That made his face burn and his eyes tear up and his face hurt from smiling so much.

Will Solace could kiss, touch, and even look at him in a hundred different ways.

He changed Nico…yet loved him exactly for who he was.

Nico pulled down his swimming trunks and slid into the warm water. The water was now filled with bubbles and soap and he looked up shyly as Will sat down opposite him.

He was beginning to regret his decision as he stared down at his knees, which were the only part of his lower body that could be seen out of the water.

They looked like two pale islands in a sea of white murky sponginess. He started picking at a mole on the side of his knee.

Will laughed at him. "Nico…it's okay. Um, what are your plans for the future?"

Nico frowned at the randomness of that statement. Then he realized he was trying to set Nico at ease.

"You mean like, college and stuff?" Nico mumbled.

Will only hummed in agreement so Nico looked up to see what his boyfriend was doing.

The son of Apollo was grinning, his cheeks glowing. He was currently pouring a creamy white substance into his palm, Nico's shampoo. He looked up to meet Nico's eyes. "Coconut oil and almonds. Sounds delicious."

Nico smiled at him, shaking his head. "I don't know about college… and don't eat that."

Will gestured for Nico to turn around, cradling the shampoo in his hands so it wouldn't spill. "Let me do your hair."

Nico focused on their dialogue as he tucked his knees into his chest, turning to face the opposite wall. He studied his toes. "Y-Yeah. I mean, I dropped out of school in the third grade."

Will made a startled sound, his hands tugging on Nico's hair.

Nico grinned. He knew how much education meant to Will. "But Bianca taught me everything she knew in the Casino. It wasn't all fun and games, you know. So that puts me in…what? An eight grade level? Though I assume the education system must have changed some in the last eighty years so who knows."

He looked at Will over his shoulder, who still looked shell-shocked. Nico continued. "I'm not an idiot though. I used to get tutored by perverted mathematicians and depressed scientists and wailing dead authors."

Will snorted and continued to massage Nico's scalp. "Why do the mathematicians have to be the perverts?"

"I don't know. Maybe math rotted their brains when they were alive."

Will laughed.

Nico giggled himself, leaning into Will's hands.

"Okay then Mister 'I talked to Darwin, Dickens AND Babbage. What are your plans if you're not going to college?"

Nico frowned. "I never got to talk to Babbage."

Will chuckled as Nico made a noise of complaint as shampoo got in his eye. Nico sighed. "I really don't know. I'll find out what YOU'RE going to do and fix my life accordingly."

The son of Hades yelped as his head was suddenly yanked back against Will's chest. His legs splashed the water up as his hands flailed at the edges of the tub. He stared up at his boyfriend, eyes wide with shock, breathing hard from the unexpected scare.

Will's blue eyes were stern as his hands lightly held Nico's head in place, baring his throat in a vulnerable position. Nico swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Nico di Angelo. You are beautiful and spectacular. You do not need to fix ANYTHING. Don't let me catch you saying that ever again."

Nico stared up at him in wonder, then a grin broke across his face, he started laughing and Will released him. The fake stern look was gone and Will was giggling too.

First he had been startled, then amazed, and then, (Nico was reluctant to admit it) slightly aroused. But then Will had spoken and Nico had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Gods, he loved this man.

"Come on, let me do your hair." Nico said, nudging him and clamping down on his laughter.

"Alright." Will struggled to turn around. "Ugh. Ow."

Nico snickered.

Finally, Will had enough and he stood upright in the tub, making the soapy water trail down his back and…down his ass.

Nico looked away, blushing.

Wow.

Just…wow.

He focused his gaze on the side of the tub and waited until the water settled on the other end.

"…am I really that ugly?"

Nico flinched and hurriedly looked forwards, excuses and explanations ready to bubble out of his mouth.

Will was looking at him over his shoulder, grinning.

The son of Hades glared at him, halfheartedly punching his shoulder.

"Shut up. I was just…um, err…I-I…what are YOUR plans for the future?" Nico stammered.

He squirted shampoo into his shaking hands, blushing as it dripped past his fingers and wrists.

"Hmm, let's see…my plans." Nico began washing Will's hair. "After I finish high school, I'm going to get into medical school, of course. I'll find a way to pay through college…though it's going to be a hell lot of money." He chuckled. "And we'll live together. Maybe get an apartment?"

Nico's hands stilled in Will's curls, blinking rapidly. What?

"We…We're going to live together?"

Will's shoulders tensed. "Well, yeah. I mean…I thought so…"

Nico grinned. He let his hands trail down Will's back until he wrapped them around his waist. Kissing the freckles on the blonde's shoulders, he hummed his appreciation. "Yes. YES. We'll get an apartment."

Will relaxed, laughing softly.

Nico realized the water was getting cold. He focused on rinsing Will's hair.

Finally, Will stood on his knees to face him, pulling him closer. He was gentle and careful, not insistent. For which Nico was grateful for. Nico was looking at his boyfriend rather warily now.

But Will just framed his face with his hands, staring at him passionately.

"Nico, I love you so much. I can't seem to say it enough. But even when I do…it's just not enough."

The son of Hades leaned into his touch, smiling softly and completely at ease again. "Keep talking then."

Will grinned. "I'm going to take you to high school."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "You can stop talking now."

He laughed. "I'm serious! We're going to study together and you'll pass the placement test. We'll make sure they accept you as a senior. You said it yourself, you have Columbus on your side."

Nico shook his head in amazement. "You're serious."

"Yep. We'll go to college together and then you can study whatever you want."

The brunette cocked his head, looking at him doubtfully. "You mean…like, firemen and stuff?"

Will laughed again. "Oh, yeah. And doctors and policemen and lawyers and teachers and models and actors and artists and anything else you can think of."

Nico began to smile. "And we'll live together."

"Yes."

"Just the two of us?"

"Definitely."

"And then…" Nico bit his lip. "W-We'll g-get married?"

Will pressed his forehead against Nico's, hard. "Hell yes. And we can have kids! Four of them."

Nico chocked on his laughter.

Will!

"No! No, just two."

"Three."

"Three?" Nico asked, his face hurting from smiling so much.

"Three." Will confirmed.

Nico giggled, closing his eyes as he nuzzled the side of Will's face.

Minutes later, they were both laying in Nico's bed, talking softly about their future and caressing each other. There was a warm glow in his chest that extended to every single part of his body. And every time Will touched or kissed him, the heat flared hotter. They were both drowsy and happy and eventually Nico fell asleep.

His lids shut slowly as Will's blue eyes seared themselves into his memory.

He never wanted to wake up.

? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ? ﾟﾌﾁ?

"Nico? Darling…wake up. I think Jason's at the door. He's calling for you."

Will looked down at his sleeping angel.

Nico now had a crease in his brow and his long eyelashes fluttered open to look at him questioningly. It wasn't a, 'Who dares to disturb my sleep?!' It was more like a, 'Why on Earth would you wake me up?'

Will kissed Nico softly. "Jason's at the door." He repeated.

Nico definitely pouted now. He pushed himself up on his elbow, slipping on the shorts Will handed to him. He yawned, returning Will's peck on the lips.

"Give me a second, Jason." Nico called, pulling on his jeans.

Will smiled at him, crawling beneath the covers and watching him as he headed over to the door. Nico was still definitely half-asleep, even if he's only slept for a couple of minutes. He didn't look tired, just drowsy.

He opened the door, smiling. "Jason. What's up?"

The son of Zeus looked anxious. He looked at Nico, a little bit relieved, then confused. "Did I wake you?"

Nico shook his head. Blinking rapidly and fixing Jason with a stare. "No. I was just taking a nap." He glanced back at Will. "But perhaps we should talk elsewhere…?"

Jason looked guilty. "Actually, I'm trying to avoid Percy."

Will grinned. RIGHT. Jason was probably here to both hide and ask for Nico's advice. Will was still wondering what was up with Jason.

Nico looked faintly amused. "Okay, come inside." He took a deep breath. "Um, Jason…before you say anything I just want you to know that I saw you k-kiss Percy."

Jason looked shocked.

"Ehm…I know! It was a total invasion of privacy." He glared at Will.

Will wished he could hide under the blanket. He did NOT want that look directed at him. "It was your idea." He said pointedly.

That did nothing to diminish Nico's glare.

Jason looked between the boys. "A-Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you ab-

"JASON FUCKING GRACE. OPEN THIS DOOR, NOW!"

Ooh. This was getting good.

Jason and Nico apparently didn't think so. Jason had borderline panic on his face and Nico had a sick expression of dread.

Will scooted to the farthest corner of the bed.

Jason cursed, fumbling with something in his back pocket. "Nico! Hold the door!"

Nico glared at him. "No way."

As the son of Zeus drew his sword, Will considered the possibility that maybe he should get dressed and escape this cabin at all costs.

"Jason! Put that sword away! Maybe Percy just wants to talk-

Percy Jackson kicked the door open.

Nico squeaked and ducked just as a streak of gold whirled above his head.

Jason met Percy's strike with one of his own

"PERCY, WAIT!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU."

"IF YOU DESTROY MY CABIN I WILL KILL BOTH OF YOU!"

Unfortunately, the boys ignored Nico's bold threat and continued hacking away at each other. From what Will could tell, Percy was doing the hacking and Jason was blocking his blows. Although the blonde was still wide-eyed and panicked. Nico crawled away from the immediate action and gave Will a tired sigh.

"You crossed a line, Grace." Percy growled.

"I'm sorry-

"I about chocked on your tongue!"

"Perce-

"Hasn't anyone taught you how to kiss properly?"

"I'm so-wait, what?"

Jason's blow went wide and Nico's lamp went hurtling to the floor. Percy was steadily driving Jason back, cornering him mercilessly. Will knew that the boys were more or less evenly matched so Jason must have been holding back, though that probably was not a good idea due to the anger on Percy's face.

Will glanced at his boyfriend and he just about pissed himself.

Nico was scowling, his eyes livid.

He was holding his terrifying sword in front of him and there was a deadly, furious energy around him. Will couldn't help but crawl away from him. So different from the blushing, excited Nico in the bathroom. And from the adorable, sleepy Nico just seconds ago.

This wasn't fun anymore.

They broke Nico's lamp.

The son of Hades launched himself forwards, deflecting both swords with one blow. He stood in between both boys, shirtless and angry and not even slightly out of breath.

They stared at him.

"You will put your swords down and you will TALK." Nico ordered.

You would have thought Nico had the power of charmspeak because the boys obediently did as they were told.

Jason looked over Nico's shoulder at Percy, a miserable expression on his face.

"Percy, I'm so sorry, man. I-

"You better be sorry. That kiss sucked and I deserve better."

"W-What?"

The son of Poseidon reached across Nico and grabbed the front of Jason's camp T-shirt. One swift, strong movement later and Jason's front was pressed against Nico's back. The son of Hades 'oofed' as his face was smothered in Percy's shoulder.

Then Percy kissed Jason, using his other hand to tilt the blonde's head gently.

And effectively trapping Nico in their embrace.

Will gawked.

Jason stared, color blooming in his cheeks.

Nico made small animal-like noises as he tried to escape.

Then the blonde closed his eyes and melted into the kiss, letting Percy lead and pushing harder against Will's boyfriend.

"Guys! Guys…wait…" Nico whimpered, he looked mortified.

Will crept forwards and helped the son of Hades escape. He squeezed out, blushing and turning to look at the boys with an exasperated yet fond look on his face.

Percy had hooked Jason's belt loop on his middle finger, his hand flat against the blonde's back. He looked utterly calm and firm as his other hand finally curled itself on the back of Jason's head. The son of Zeus was hesitant, like he'd never kissed anyone before. But he was entirely submissive, something Will had never seen Jason be with Percy…or anyone for that matter.

Will took the opportunity to dress himself, grinning at Nico.

Percy's tongue slid over Jason's bottom lip, like one last caress before pulling away. He stroked Jason's face softly and cleared his throat.

"THAT'S how you kiss someone." He released the son of Zeus, pocketing his sword and heading towards the door. He was about to step out before he hesitated and looked back, jabbing his finger at Will.

"I'm not gay."

He closed the door behind him.


	23. Chapter 23

**HELLO MY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! I am back. For those of you that did not like my little Person episode, Do not worry, all will be explained soon and (sadly) it won't last. Percabeth and Jiper forever. For those of you who did. (HAHAHA ME TOO IT WAS FREAKING GORGEOUS) Again, thank you for all your beautiful reviews. I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS FLUFF.**

"I don't know Nico. When he kissed me I felt-

"I swear Jackson if you say something sappy I'll-

"Me? You're the one eye-fucking Will every time you see him!"

"…"

"…"

"Was that inappropriate?"

"Jerk."

"But it's true. I feel like I'm witnessing your heart being yanked out of your chest and then put back in all in one glance."

"I don't look like that!"

"GUYS! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR THE FIREWORKS!"

Percy and Nico both stopped talking at Will's outburst. The blonde was looking at them from the doorway of the Hade's cabin, rolling his eyes.

Nico couldn't help but smile a bit at Will's rare expression of annoyance.

He turned back to Percy. This conversation was getting them nowhere. Nico decided to revert back to his preferred method of communication.

He glared.

Percy gulped. "Something was wrong, okay? When…" He stumbled over the next word. "…Jason, ehm, kissed me I felt, like, _déjà vu_ or something."

Nico frowned at him. He wasn't making any sense.

The son of Hades was usually good at understanding what Percy meant most of the time, but he was still shirtless and cold and he swore all the mosquitoes in camp were targeting him. And even though Percy wasn't even looking at him and one of Nico's arms was draped across his own stomach like a self one-armed hug and the other one was clutching at his shoulder diagonally in a very relaxed sort of seat-belt like position, he was still uncomfortable and self-conscious.

Percy glanced back at him from his dazed gaze, stripping off his hoodie in one fluid motion and throwing it at Nico.

It smelled like lemons.

"Like when I had lost my memory and I would stumble across something from my past life that I couldn't remember. It was this horrible feeling, ten times stronger than déjà vu, like something was being yanked out of my throat and shoved in my face but I couldn't see what that something was."

"You know you use the word 'something' a lot."

"Nico, pay attention!"

Nico squeezed the sleeves of the frayed blue hoodie and fixed his stare on Percy.

How wasn't he cold?

Nico was freezing.

Maybe he was sick.

"I _am_ paying attention. But then why did you kiss him again?"

"Did you not understand my metaphor? I _had_ to. Something is gone. Something important." Percy gripped Nico's shoulders. " _Something_ is happening. Maybe it's that thing Hades was talking about."

It had been a while since Nico had seen that light in Percy's eyes.

That frantic, excited, and slightly foreboding look that Nico usually only saw when the world was about to end.

But Nico didn't want to think about what his father had said.

"Or maybe you just like blondes."

Percy punched his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah." His eyes flickered somewhere above Nico's head. "Look! There's another one."

The son of Hades turned to see Will stumbling towards them, a picnic basket and a blanket in each hand.

Nico turned towards and found Percy wiggling his eyebrows and grinning stupidly.

"Is _he_ a good kisser?"

Nico punched him in the gut.

? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ? ﾟﾌﾄ

Will kicked off his flip-flops, settling down in the blanket he had spread on the sand. He smiled as Nico sat down too, just in time to watch the last rays of sunlight plunge off the horizon and disappear. Demigods cheered as the sky lost its orange hue and the first fireworks began to burst on the dark sky.

His boyfriend had shed Percy's hoodie when Will had brought him a change of clothes and now the offending garment lay folded carefully between them.

Will was watching the bright colors illuminate Nico's face when he spoke.

"Will…are you cold?"

The son of Apollo was wearing shorts and no shoes with a simple T-shirt. Nico was still clad in black jeans and converse and his orange camp half-blood shirt. But Nico was definitely shivering.

"No." Will felt Nico's forehead. "Are you coming down with something?"

Nico swatted him away, artificial blue light illuminating his reassuring smile for a brief second.

"I'm fine." Nico stated, then suddenly turned towards his right. "Look! There's a shooting star."

Will craned his neck, suspecting Nico was trying to distract him. His forehead had definitely been hot. But he looked anyways. "Where? I don't see-

The son of Hades kissed him, chuckling at Will's surprise.

Nico's lips were warm as they melted into a grin and pulled away.

It was a second before Will could speak again.

"That's…That's how pathogens are spread, you know."

Nico laughed, the sound sweet and uncaring among the explosions of fireworks.

Will grinned. "Kiss me again?"

The son of Hades bit his lip flirtatiously. "Do you really want to risk it, doctor?"

His face lit up in pink red colors as he took hold of Will's shirt, not waiting for an answer before crashing their lips together.

Nico's knee was resting against Will's thigh and his hand was resting atop Will's hand while his other hand still clung tightly to the front of Will's shirt. The night was warm, but not uncomfortably so. The sand was cool beneath Will's bare feet and Nico's lips were warm and soft and people were laughing and the night was utterly perfect.

Just as Will hoped it'd be.

Just as the night _had_ to be.

Nico drew back, gripping Will's hand tightly. His thumb dug into the center of Will's palm, not hard enough to make him wince, but definitely hard enough to hurt.

"Will."

The son of Apollo turned towards him, frowning a bit.

"…Yes?"

Nico was worrying at his bottom lip again and Will had to resist the urge to kiss it. He had a feeling that Nico was about to say something serious.

His boyfriend took a deep breath. "I…I know you're not an idiot."

Will blinked. Okay then. "Well. That's…good to know." He found himself smiling despite his best attempts to control it

Nico stared at him. "Will! I'm being _serious_."

"I'm sorry. You're adorable."

Nico shot him a murderous glare as purple light lit up the beach.

"A-And I'm sure you're terrifying but I love you and you don't scare me." Will hugged his thin shoulders. "But…don't do that again or I might cry."

Nico looked away from him, smiling embarrassedly. "Um. You're c-cute, too."

Will grinned as the brunette blushed profusely. He couldn't decide whether Nico blushed more when he was receiving a compliment, or when he was giving a compliment. Wait. That wasn't important. (It totally was.) Nico was about to say something important.

Will pulled up a purplish flower that was growing in the sand and gave Nico his most serious look.

"I'm ready. Tell me about how smart I am."

Nico shook his head and pushed him. "No. I meant that…since you're not stupid, you p-probably know that I've been…lying to you."

When Nico fell silent, Will bumped shoulders with him and smiled at him softly.

The tightness around Nico's mouth relaxed. "I want to say that I'm sorry." He whispered. "Sorry that I lied to you and for pushing you away whenever you tried to ask. I'm sorry for making you feel bad, Will. You…you deserve better."

Something in Will's chest tightened with dread.

"I almost ruined the trip with your family, and I know I've hurt you more times than I can count. Both physically and…otherwise."

Nico laughed without humor.

"Gods know how much sleep you lost because of me. And how much I made you worry."

Will needed to say something. Anything.

But his mouth wouldn't work.

Nico was looking intently at the purple flower in his palm. But he was crushing it. Turning the petals a darker purple as they bled and smearing the pollen all around it. He pierced the mangled petals with his nails and split open the stem.

Nico shook the flower out of his hand then grabbed a clump of sand.

He cleared his throat. "Why didn't you call me out? On my lies."

Will tried to get his mouth to work. "Um."

Good job Will.

Nico stared at him for a few seconds, dark eyes intense, and then he dropped his head on his bent knees.

He groaned. "I just did it again. _Fucking shit!_ This was supposed to be fun. A fun night. Where we could watch the fireworks and sit on the beach and talk. But no. I fucking ruined it."

Will finally regained the use of his mouth. "You didn't ruin anything, Nico."

But Will was definitely cursing his boyfriend's timing.

He tentatively touched his arm.

Nico tensed.

"Nico…I know things were hard enough with your nightmares and everything. And yeah, you're right, I'm not completely dumb. I know Percy is helping you. And I figured you had a reason why you wanted Percy to help you and not me." Will sighed. "But…I love you."

Nico looked up, frowning.

Will smiled and connected their lips until he felt Nico's frown melt away.

"Look, Nico. I know we both made some mistakes. But it's over now, right? You don't get nightmares anymore. I assume the cure had something to do with a drug?"

Nico flinched when a firework exploded again. "Sort of."

"Which is why you didn't want to tell me?"

"Yeah."

Nico looked away, ashamed, down at Will's legs, which were folded between them.

Will's heart was still beating fast. "Are…are there any side-effects?"

Nico laughed curtly. "You saw them. You didn't think I was acting like an idiot for no reason, did you."

Will's eyes widened exaggeratedly. "Oh! You mean the crying and the lap dancing?"

His boyfriend blanched. "You're lying."

Will laughed, pulling him close. Nico started pulling up more flowers, the purple ones that Will recognized as a type of Morning Glory. Thankfully, the son of Hades didn't destroy them again. Though pulling them, Will thought after a second, was essentially killing them. But at least their beauty was preserved a second longer.

Will grimaced. Yeah, he did not like where that train of thought was going.

"You know," he continued after a beat of comfortable silence. "I thought you were going to break up with me."

Nico picked another flower before stilling and fixing Will with a stare. "You thought I was…" Nico narrowed his eyes and smacked Will's thigh in annoyance. "You're always jumping to conclusions and assuming the world is a freaking cube when I'm trying to tell you it's flat."

…What? Will decided not to comment lest his thigh received further abuse.

Nico dropped his gaze again and mumbled. "And I'm too weak and selfish to break it off. I'm trusting you to be able to do that if…if I hurt you."

Will's chest ached.

He was still the same boy Will had kissed on the floor of his bedroom. Building walls around his heart and convincing himself that they were there to protect himself from the people around him.

When really Nico had just been scared that he himself would hurt someone if those walls were destroyed.

"I know what you're going to say. Don't say it." Nico said, shooting him a small smile. "I know you think better of me than I do. But I'm not strong enough to push you away."

Will leaned against him. "Good. There will be no pushing."

Nico turned towards him, so that their lips brushed together. Will closed his eyes, humming at the feather-light touch.

Now was the perfect time.

Now that the moon was shining overhead and the fireworks weren't that loud and a fine mist of ocean-spray was cooling them and the waves lapped at the sand rather than crashed against it. Now that Nico was bathed in a silvery glow and there was the faintest hint of a smile on his lips and his eye-lashes cast shadows across his face as he looked downward and he was happy and at peace.

Will cleared his throat, hearing his heartbeat loud and clear. Could Nico hear it?

The son of Hades looked up again as Will fumbled for his hand.

A flower fell from the Italian's curled fingers.

"Nico, you remember what we talked about earlier in your cabin." Will stated, already slightly breathless.

His boyfriend nodded slowly, warily.

Will could feel his pulse.

The son of Apollo reached into his pocket…and slipped a ring onto Nico's finger.

"I want to make you a promise. A promise that I'll keep as long as I live." The words were stumbling over each other and Will forced himself to stop shaking. "I promise that I'll love you forever, no matter what."

Nico was staring at him.

"We can have that future that we talked about Angel, we can make that happen." Will continued. "I want you to remember that when you look at this ring."

Nico was still gaping.

Will swallowed nervously, his hand leaving Nico's. "Nico?"

Nico glanced down at the new jewelry adorning his hand. Will had been wary of the skull-ring that his boyfriend always wore, so he had placed the ring on his other hand. Nico probably couldn't see it very well due to the scant light so he was probably still in shock.

Will inwardly cursed himself. Had he done something wrong?

Nico looked back up at Will and Will's breath caught in his throat.

There was a raw, vulnerable expression on his boyfriends face and his eyes glinted with unshed tears. Before Will could think of a way to push past his confusion and apologize, Nico jumped on him.

Literally sprang on him.

Will had just the time to squeak in terror before he was thrown flat on his back.

He was going to die.

But instead of his head bouncing on the ground and giving him a concussion, he felt Nico's hand gripping his curls and absorbing the impact. That must have hurt but Nico gave no sign of it. The son of Hades crashed their lips together and kissed Will like a starving man.

Electricity rippled through his veins and Will felt like he was drowning and burning all at the same time.

He threw his arms around Nico's waist, needing to touch and feel and make sure that the passion above him was real.

"So…yes?" He stammered, breathless.

Nico's shirt hiked up around his chest and Will's hands trailed on his bare skin, fingernails trailing on taut muscle. His boyfriend was bent over him, knees spread on either side of Will's hips with his lips hot and searing and his free hand flat on Will's chest. He could feel the ring through the material of his shirt.

Nico pushed himself up, freeing his other hand. His eyes were glittering and there was a mad grin on his face.

"Imma take care of you, William Solace."

Will's eyes widened as Nico kissed him again, nibbling at his bottom lip and effortlessly slipping his tongue past his lips. Will gasped and Nico pinned his wrists above his head.

Take care of him? Wow. Wait. Did he mean-

"Right here?"

Nico looked up at him in confusion.

"Hmm?"

Will laughed and pulled his boyfriend down, now that he was freed, and pressed his lips to his neck.

Nico didn't know what Will thought he meant. He kept forgetting Nico didn't hang out with dirty-minded Apollo siblings. Or even that he was from this era.

"I've no i-idea what you're doing, Will." Nico's voice was a breathy moan. "B-But don't- _Oh!_ D-Don't stop."

Nico supported himself up on his forearms and kissed Will again, a slow, agonizingly gentle kiss. "I-I meant that when we do get an apartment and go to college, we'll take care of each other…and," He kissed him again, a hard possessive peck on the lips. "I'll be there for you too."

Will beamed. "Promise?"

The son of Hades grinned, taking Will's hand and squeezing it. The matching rings clinked against each other.

Nico smiled and helped Will sit up. "No matter what."

They talked, laughed, and devoured the snacks Will had in the basket until every last person left the beach.

Then they walked home.


	24. Chapter 24

I'M HERE, FORGIVE ME MY SWEET REVIEWERS. I LOVE YOU AND I AM HERE!

~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~)~

Nico couldn't stop looking at his ring.

He felt horribly girly but he couldn't help it. It was a deep reflective black all around. Hazel could have probably recognized the material but he couldn't. There was a diagonal band of silver with a single stone in the middle. A diamond. On the silver, there were cursive letters on either side of the rock.

"Two souls..."

Nico jumped.

Will was smiling at him, blushing a bit. He'd just gotten out of the bathroom and he held up his almost identical ring as explanation for his words.

Nico grinned and read the swooping letters off his ring. "…one heart."

Will slipped it off his finger and onto Nico's bedside table. "I know, I know. Cheesy."

Nico watched as the blonde slipped into Nico's bed and squeezed one of his pillows to his chest. Blue eyes studied him, a crooked smile on his lips.

The son of Hades shook his head slowly. "No…I like it."

"I'm really glad you do. I was just a teensy bit nervous earlier."

Nico sat down next to him, seeing that his boyfriend was still pretty nervous. There was an anxious blush on his cheeks that made his light freckles practically glow in the dim light. He was also rubbing the center of his palm with his thumb absently.

Nico took a deep breath. "You probably won't believe me, but it's really nice to have something to remind me that we could have a future together." He struggled to maintain eye contact as the words fell past his lips. "Sometimes I…I forget. Forget that I can be happy."

The blonde looked at him, saying nothing. Then his eyes dropped to his lips a second before he kissed him.

"Glad I could help." He murmured.

Nico laughed.

Will grinned. Nico had such a beautiful laugh. Pity he always smothered it.

Even now he closed his mouth with the back of his fist in an effective attempt to stop the noise. Will snatched his hand away and pushed him down on the mattress.

Nico giggled nervously.

It was so uncharacteristic that Will had to laugh too. When Nico was nervous that usually meant that someone was going to get hurt.

He tickled Nico's sides mercilessly.

"No! Will, no! STOPPIT!" Nico cried.

Will gawked as his boyfriend writhed like he was being electrocuted. The son of Hades laughed hysterically and finally kicked Will in the crotch. Panting and sobbing uncomfortably.

Will groaned, clutching himself as he fell off the bed.  
What the heck?

"Nico…ungh…really?...ow."

Nico made a quiet sort of wailing sound as he held on to his sides, giggling in between wails and looking at Will wide-eyed.

"S-Sorry, Will. I…I don't like being tickled."

The blonde whined and sat up carefully. "I'm pretty sure you…" he exhaled a breath of pain. "…didn't react that way last time."

His boyfriend helped him back up on the bed, a twisted expression of guilt and wariness on his features. "That's because I wasn't expecting it. And I'm really, really sorry."

Will cracked a smile. "It's alright. That did look rather painful."

Nico was still gripping his sides protectively. "How is that seen as a sign of affection?"

The blond gave a pained laugh. "It's usually not that unpleasant. But…I have cake."

Will grinned at Nico confused expression. "It's only half a cake." He reached for the picnic basket and set it down on the bed. "Half a cake because Percy has the nose of a hellhound."

Nico chuckled.

"Chocolate?"

"Sort of. Leo passed me the recipe. Choco-flan!" He grinned sheepishly. "I made it because…well, just because. You don't need an excuse to make cake."

The son of Hades peered into the basket cautiously. "What is it?"

Will took it out and set the plate on the bed. Half a circle.

"Well the bottom is chocolate. The top is some type of caramel condensed milk thing. It tastes pretty good. Want some?"

Will didn't wait for a reply and started cutting into it.

Nico had to grin at the craziness. Eating cake before bed with _Will Solace_ while his hand was adorned with a ring that signified a promise for a future he never thought he'd had.

"Don't cry, Nico. I know-

"I'm not!" Nico covered his eyes, his cheeks burning. "You must think I'm such a crybaby. I swear to you Will Solace, I never cried before I met you."

Will looked at him doubtfully. Will made him cry? He always figured… "Well, maybe it's hormones."

Nico snapped towards Will, eyes narrowing. "Are you saying you think I'm _hormonal?"_

Will blinked slowly. What. "Wait…no, I was-

"Too emotional?"

"Nico-

"Over dramatic?!"

Nico's face was drastically changing in color.

"Nico! I was _just_ -

The son of Hades shoved him, eyes blazing. "You're wrong!" His voice cracked. "I am not-

Will pulled at Nico's hands. "Baby-

But Nico pushed his boyfriend away again. "No! You always do that! You…you touch me and then you say something sweet like that and I completely forget what I'm saying or why it's important!"  
Will stared at him.

It took Nico a second to realize what he'd said.

He stared back, embarrassed and stunned.

Wow.

The blonde laughed into his hands. "Oh…gods of Olympus, I love you."

Nico found a smile flickering at the edge of his lips.

He felt himself calm down.

Maybe Will was right. He had been trying to convince himself, he realized. Reassuring himself that what Piper had said couldn't be true. He wasn't, _depressed_. He was happier than he'd ever been. And it just didn't make sense. Why would he feel sad when he was around Will, when Will was the one that made him happy? Whatever. Nico always said that emotions didn't make sense and were overall useless, unless it was the anger and hate that kept him fighting.

But still, that wasn't the case anymore.

He was happy.

But still…not.

Hormones? But then wouldn't that mean that everybody would feel like this too, in one way or another?

"You look like Percy trying to choose between pancakes and waffles." Will took a forkful of cake. "Don't hurt yourself."

Nico rolled his eyes, but the his lips unwillingly curved into a smile. He couldn't even be properly mad.

And being properly mad was one of Nico's few talents.

"I'll make it easy for you. Eat cake. Now, sit." Will patted the stop next to him, holding out another impaled piece of dessert expectantly. Nico looked from the thing back to Will's hopeful eyes and then back to the thing again.

He sighed.

"…alright." The dark-haired hero crawled on all fours towards his boyfriend, stopping once to bite the cake off the fork. He could feel sky-blue eyes fixed on him as his teeth caused a soft " _chink_ " against the fork.

He loved it.

Loved the way those beautiful blue eyes wandered down Nico's body, clung to Nico's working mouth, and the swallow of the Italian's pale neck, then to the sliver of skin at Nico's stomach and finally down to his swinging hips as he approached.

Nico settled down behind Will, up on the crown of pillows at his back.

"What were you going to say? Nico grudgingly relented and wrapped his arms around Will's waist, clutching his own forearms to completely encircle him.

Will could feel Nico's hard stomach against his back and the wiry muscles in his arms flex.

"Um…I know you're dealing with a lot of stuff right now, but I've been doing some research and I think I might have come up with a theory." Will cleared his throat as he felt Nico's hands in his hair now.

Ridiculously, he felt a spark of anxiety.

His boyfriend was unpredictable, sure. But it wasn't like Will was afraid of him. No, it was only that he was unaccustomed to facing the young Italian during a confusing mood swing and then having him display blatant affection unprompted while Will prepared to tell him something that might or might not be received badly. Okay. Maybe he was a little scared.

He cleared his throat.

"Um…you said you spent about eighty years at the Lotus Casino, right?"

Nico tugged at the tightly wound curls and hummed confirmation.

"And based off my current observations and some asking around…you didn't take very good care of yourself after everything."

Nico leaned over to look at him, frowning. "I can take care of myself."

"No! I…I know." Will put a hand on Nico's knee as his boyfriend continued picking through his hair. "I meant…how often did you skip meals? Or ate nothing but McDonald's?"

Nico huffed and Will received a rather painful tug at his scalp as a reward.

The blonde winced. He hadn't even gotten to the worst part!

He forged ahead. "And I bet you skipped sleep a number of times to fight ghosts or whatever you did for fun."

He could practically sense Nico rolling his eyes.

"And I know that the time that you _did_ spend in camp, you didn't really attend regular meals."

Nico huffed. "Who told you that?"

"No one did. Back then I used to keep regular charts on everyone's eating habits." Will said matter-of-factly.

Nico paused. "…really?"

"No, you dork. Clarisse told me. You know, she's a really good person once-

"Yeah, yeah," again with the eye-rolling. "You say that about everyone. Get to the point." Nico reached round his ears, tickling the soft skin with a slight brush of his nails.

He took a deep breath. "Aaand, you _may_ have noticed that you're a bit…well, _small_. For…ehm. Your age _._ Not like Leo, it's a different kind of small..."

Nico froze.

"And well, you know," Will's tone was exaggeratedly light. "Puberty-

Nico inhaled sharply and then smacked him, hard. "YOU DAMNED-. I WILL NOT-

Will ducked down, expertly avoiding the cake on the bed and rolling away from his boyfriend.

"Wait! Nico, hear me out! Please." He smothered a whimper as his shoulder throbbed. Damn. That _hurt_! Though he consoled himself by remembering that the fact that Nico was smacking and punching him, meant that he was more comfortable with him and that he wasn't as fearful of scaring Will away.

Or at least that's what Will told himself made sense.

Nico viciously stabbed at the plate between them and then set it away, staring at Will's hair. "Fine. Talk faster."

Talk faster?

Will rubbed his shoulder. "Ehm…Right. Well, that magic that um, the Lotus Casino puts on its occupants…it stops your growth. Aging, not necessarily time. And we both agree that you didn't really take care of your body very well."

His boyfriend shrugged, then frowned. "You're saying that I'm…" He searched for the word. "…stunted?"

Will smiled, inching forward. Progress! "Your growth is stunted. That also might be why you ache so much. You avoid the sun, you scarcely eat and your sleeping schedule, which wasn't very good to begin with, is now hopelessly screwed up. It makes sense."

Nico considered. "Are you sure?"

"…pretty sure."

Nico shrugged then pulled him close, Will's back towards him again as his hands returned to their task in his hair.

"Doesn't matter. I know you're going to fix me with your health food and your disgusting gummy vitamins."

Will protested.

"But know this, Solace…" Nico yanked him down, much like Will had done earlier today. "I can still beat _you_ , and anyone you know in a fight."

The blond grinned stupidly as his boyfriend released him. He angled his head away from Nico's able fingers and forced himself to eye him skeptically.

"I don't know, Nico…"

The son of Hades raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, I hear _Leo_ is a very good fighter."

Will made himself look serious. No easy feat.

Nico choked. "Leo?"

"Of course! I mean, he has the courage of a lion! Is it true he can control fire at will? And I heard he built a real life dragon…and his infamous good looks are-

"WILLIAM FUCKING SOLACE!"

Will snorted unattractively as all the laughter burst out of him.

He'd never seen the Italian look so outraged.

His boyfriend flew at him.

"No! Nico, please! I was kidding!" Will laughed as he fell forwards and his boyfriend smothered him with a pillow, effectively stopping his giggles.

"I should sit on your face."

"Please do."

"You little-

"Ow! Nico, no hitting! _Kissing_."

Will felt the pressure ease up on the back of his head.

He was in no danger of suffocation.

He could feel the soft cloth of Nico's boxers on his bare back, and the relaxed weight of his legs on either side of him. His boyfriend was getting comfortable. As if he was planning to stay up there a little while longer.

He gave an exhausted sigh of surrender and slowly brought his knees closer.

Nico didn't notice.

Quickly, but gently, Will raised his lower half, standing on his knees while keeping his face squished in the mattress.

"Oh!" Nico gave an undignified squeak as he slid forwards, suddenly elevated.

Will laughed as he stood up on all fours.

Nico apparently decided he'd had enough and he dropped to the side, his cheeks bright red.

"You're not funny, Will."

"Ha! But you love me."

The blonde settled down next to his boyfriend, burying his nose in his neck.

Nico squirmed. "Will~"

"You smell like almonds…and milk."

"Milk?!"

"Hahahaha."

"Again. Not funny. But hey…I've been meaning to ask, where did you get the rings?"

The son of Apollo groaned and slung an arm and a leg over Nico, getting comfortable with using his boyfriend as a blanket. "Let us just say that I wasn't alone."

Nico looked at him.

"Piper helped me. Jason did too. Though he had horrible taste. Horrible."

The Italian smirked.

"My dad helped. Aphrodite pitched in. Hermes insisted on coming, and your dad wouldn't leave us alone."

Nico sat up and stared at Will incredulously. Seriously?

"'That is a hideous ring. Ridiculous. That isn't real onyx.'" Will mocked in a haughty voice, rolling his eyes towards the heavens.

"Will…you do know you're in the Hades cabin, right?"

"It's alright. Didn't you say you're father would be stopping by later on? To clear your nightmares?"

Nico didn't answer.

Will's face twisted into one of distaste.

"What kind of sick person would do that to you? Some god or…or Titan…maybe a giant?"

Nico studied his boyfriend, worrying at his bottom lip. "Will...you do know that I have done some very bad things, right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't deserve this."

"I worked for Kronos at one point in the war."

The idiot rolled his eyes. "That's not important. You came through when it really mattered."

"...you've heard the things people say about me."

"They're wrong."

"I let Percy go about without his memories even though I could have told him, and I warned neither camp of the other's existence."

Will poked him. "You knew it was all part of a greater plan."

Nico opened his mouth but Will stopped him. "You're wasting your breath, Di Angelo. The whole camp knows you're a hero. And sure, maybe you've messed up here and there, but it doesn't matter because you're a great person and anyone who would cause you pain like that-

Nico should tell him. Tell him it was his father who had done it, supposedly for his own good.

But he couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to think about that. He would have to deal with it tomorrow, and today he just wanted to lie next to Will Solace and talk about-

"Flowers."

"...what?"

Will tried to pull him down again, but he stopped when he noticed the purple flower on the sheets.

"Nico…please tell me I don't have flowers in my hair."

The son of Hades looked down at the blue-eyed, freckled man with the curly golden hair now tangled with crushed flowers. "You don't have flowers in your hair."

Will raised an eyebrow.

"It's more like crushed broken petals now." He forced a laugh. "Here, let me get them out. And you really shouldn't have gone through all that trouble to get the rings."

Will let his boyfriend pick through his hair again.

And much to Nico's relief, Will agreed to the change of subject. "It wasn't any trouble. It was fun, actually. Designing and making our own rings…well, apart from your dad telling me I was only a slight improvement from 'that Perseus Jackson.' every once in a while. I just really wish that you could have been there. But…it was supposed to be a surprise."

"I'm glad you did."

Nico cupped the pile of flower petals in his hands and deposited them on his nightstand, right next to Will's ring.

He switched off the lamp and gazed back at his boyfriend in the faint moonlight.

His vision was blurred with exhaustion. "You looked, really pretty with the flower crown, Will."

"Why, thank you."

"You always look," he yawned. "…really pretty."

Will looked down at the sleepy dark-haired demigod as he slumped down on his chest. He stroked the back of Nico's small hand as his breathing evened out.

But he jumped when Nico spoke again.

"What are you thinking about?"

Will looked down at those big brown eyes. Not innocent or oblivious, but old. Old, like he'd seen so many things and lived for so many years. Yet they still sparkled. Shone with curiosity and love, and yes…with a little bit of fear, but excitement and trust too.

"I'm thinking about how much I want to make love to you."

Nico choked on his laughter.

Gods, he loved this man.

No matter how many times he made Nico's blood boil.

Or made his cheeks flame and his stomach twist.

Nico loved Will.

? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ? ﾟﾒﾐ?

OKAY. THAT IS ENOUGH. HOW MANY USELESS FLUFFY CHAPTERS MUST I POST BEFORE I GET TO THE POINT? THIS IS THE LAST ONE. I SWEAR. ENJOY THIS WHILE YOU CAN. I WILL NOT BE WEAK ANYMORE.

My inner mermaid actually loved this though.

REVIEW


	25. Chapter 25

Will didn't know why he woke up.

It was still quiet, Nico was still curled at his side, and the sun wasn't up yet.

One of Nico's knees was jabbing at Will's thigh, and his lips were just barely touching Will's freckled shoulder. His small hands, just barely visible in the faint moonlight, were curled and limp, like dead doves.

And he was still.

A stillness that the living did not posses.

"Nico." Will whispered, like a prayer.

But no one answered.

An overwhelming panic rushed through him, threatening to spiral him into shock.

But Nico was warm.

Warm with a life that only Will could sense.

He cradled the dead, but not truly dead, boy in his arms. He wasn't breathing. And his heart wasn't beating. Blood didn't flow in his veins. He was dead.

But not quite.

"Nico. Nico! Baby, come on. I know you're in there." Will put his hand on Nico's chest and suddenly the cabin was illuminated in a blinding white light.

It was coming from Will.

Will sobbed in desperation as people shrieked and screamed as the white light expanded, but Will couldn't control it. He just needed help. Nico needed help.

Tears streaked past his cheeks and ugly gasps threatened to choke him as he sang a hymn.

Nico needed help.

But none that Will could give him. Even now he could feel his strength fading him. Apollo's magic was to heal, to take the injured and strengthen them. It couldn't raise the dead.

But maybe…

The door burst open and Will sobbed in relief.

"Guys! H-Help him."

Annabeth froze, looking down at them as the light dimmed. Jason was the second one in and then Percy right behind him. They just stood there looking down in horror and shock and sorrow.

"Why are you just standing there?!" Will cried.

He knew they had to hurry if they wanted to revive him.

"Will…" Annabeth put a hand on his arm. "He's gone." Her eyes looked incredibly sad.

No.

No. Will could feel him. Feel the life and warmth inside.

Hazel gave an injured cry as she stumbled back against Frank's back.

Will didn't have time to explain. "Percy! Come here. Come here. Now."

There was a desperate plan forming in his head. Something that couldn't possibly work, but he somehow knew it would. This was not Nico's time.

This was not the day he died.

The son of Poseidon stumbled towards him, blinking out of his shock to stand by the bed and stare down at him.

"He's alive!" Hazel blurted, pulling out of Frank's arms, her tear-streaked face now full of hope and amazement. "He's alive! B-But he's leaving!"

Percy put his hand near Nico's lips. His face expressionless. "No. He's dead."

"Listen to me!" Will tried. He could hear what sounded like the whole camp outside the cabin. But the people he'd summoned weren't listening to him.

"We should…take him to the infirmary or something." Jason said.

"SHUT UP!" Will yelled. "Jason! Come here!"

They were staring at him.

And in that second they weren't the Heroes of Olympus. They weren't the powerful children of the gods who saved the world and fought giants.

In this moment they were just a couple of kids who had gone through way too much already and now they were sad and hurt and scared because someone they loved was lying before them, dead. And they didn't know what to do about it.

"I need your help." Will begged.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." Jason and Percy both looked at him warily.

Will took a deep breath, arms trembling as he clutched his beloved.

"P-Percy. I need you to help me restore his blood-flow. Use your powers and make it go through his heart. Jason, you take care of the breathing. Once you restore his body, I…I am going to try to…to pull him back."

Will met Hazel's eyes.

She nodded.

"Okay." The son of Hades took a trembling breath and gestured towards Percy. "Go. Be careful."

But Percy shook his head wildly. "No. No. I can't do that. I-I've never done that before…I don't know how-

Jason was breathing heavily like he was already practicing to give Nico his breath back.

Desperation colored Will's cheeks.

He could almost convince himself that this was all a dream.

A bad dream.

Just a nightmare.

But it wasn't.

"Percy. You can do it. It's not like you can hurt him anymore than he already is. But if you don't start now, he might have permanent brain damage…or worse."

This was going to hurt Percy. Will didn't know what had happened in Tartarus, but Annabeth and Percy both paled. Like some unpleasant memory had resurfaced.

But it was necessary.

"Percy, please." Will begged.

"Do it, Percy." Jason snapped.

"It's okay." Annabeth said softly.

The son of Poseidon made a sound between a snarl and a whimper, placing a firm hand on Nico's chest and a trembling one on his head.

"I'm not supposed to be able to do this." He whispered.

No one answered his silent plea.

Jason stood next to him, furrowing his brow in concentration.

Will thought he could see Nico's chest move.

Piper and Annabeth stood by the door, talking to Chiron and telling the demigods what was going on.

Frank drew the curtains, looking sick.

And Will?

Will whispered and glowed.

Nico didn't stir.

? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ? ﾟﾌﾀ?

DON'T FREAK OUT.

Predictions?


	26. Chapter 26

"You've got freckles on your thighs." Nico observed.

He watched as Will seemed to tense and smile awkwardly, cheeks flushing.

"Oh. Yeah, they're kinda everywhere." He stammered.

Nico's lips twitched.

He decided he liked making the son of Apollo blush, not like he had when Nico made him angry, but now, when his words caught in his throat. And when the sweet, pleased smile bloomed on his face right after. Nico studied the other boy's legs, crossed under his lap. There were freckles all over them, less on his knees and more on his inner thighs. Tiny brown dots of melted caramel.

Nico wished he could count them.

He wondered what they would taste like on his tongue.

He distracted himself from those thoughts by tapping on one, making the blonde fidget and glow.

Nico smiled. He knew Will loved the attention.

Entering the Apollo cabin while it was bright and early was sort of risky.

The demigods woke at the crack of dawn and they woke loudly, hustling around and yelling. Scrambling for clothes and shoving each other out of the bathroom and fighting for toothpaste. You always risked being smacked in the face with a shoe by an overenthusiastic son/daughter of Apollo. Nico couldn't help thinking that he would never be this active in the mornings, son of Apollo or not. He imagined himself blond, blue-eyed and happy. All that his imagination provided him was images of Will.

Despite the dangers, Nico strolled in, dodging sprays of deodorant and flying socks as he headed over to Will's bunk.

No one noticed until he sat on the corner of Will's then did people turn to look at him. Like he had just survived walking through the morning battlefield and that merited him some attention.

"Nico di Angelo?" He didn't recognize the girl that was brave enough to approach him.

He nodded.

Another girl with dream catcher's for earrings and straight brown hair pinched the girl's elbow. "Dude! That's Will's boyfriend!"

Nico kept a straight face.

He looked around at Will's little space in the cabin.

Surprisingly, Will didn't have a bigger spot than anyone else. He was cabin counselor so he should have a bigger space by default, but everything was evenly spaced out. He really shouldn't have been surprised, this was Will he was talking about.

His bed had soft cerulean sheets and a white fluffy pillow. It was tidy in a sort of disorganized way. A black little teddy bear adorned his headrest as well as a dozen other trinkets and boxes.

He resisted the urge to reach for them, to explore this part of Will he'd never seen before.

He turned his attention back to the girls when they said something that made his blood boil.

"Are you sure? I thought he was going out with that other kid, what's-her-face?"

"Oh, you mean Lou Ellen?"

Nico cleared his throat and the girls turned back to him. Scandalized. They'd forgotten he was there. He should have been used to it really. Jason still jumped when he spoke and then looked at him all chagrined. As if Nico cared.

"CALEB! Did you take my towel?!" Will came out of the bathroom, clad only in soft looking green underwear.

"I've told you! If you need one, just ask for one. But don't take mine!"A ten year old looking boy glanced up from his book, sitting on one of the top bunks, guilt written all over his face.

Will sighed, giving into a reassuring smile before going back in the bathroom.

He didn't notice Nico.

Will's siblings were looking at him.

Should he leave? Maybe Will would be annoyed that Nico was sitting on his bed and waiting for him.

But Nico knew he wouldn't be mad. He would be pleased. The realization startled him.

When had he gotten so close to the blue-eyed blond that he could predict how he would feel?

He thought about the past months.

His days at the infirmary.

He pictured Will whistling and humming and clicking his tongue while he worked, stitching and Re-stitching and applying a dozen different balms and solutions and reminding him to drink his,'Unicorn Juice!'. Always peppering him with multi-colored band-aids and drawing smileys with smelly markers on his bandages.

And when Nico got sick, Will was like a breath of fresh air. As vital to his recovery as actual medicine.

He always let him rest as much as he needed, but not a second more than that. He was always there, sitting next to him and being way too close even when Nico warned him about pathogens and shit. Will had just waved him away, giving him a one armed hug and saying,

"Who's the doctor here? Don't you worry your pretty little head, sweetheart. I'm immune." In a bad southern accent which had caused Nico to punch him. Not very impressive since he was sick, but Will gave a convincing flinch.

Then he would put on his crazy musicals, laughing and jostling Nico as they watched, and sometimes singing extremely loudly. Nico would always stare at him in amazement when he did. His voice cracked when reaching for the high notes but he didn't seem to care. It was deep and lively and Nico instantly loved it. Although it was sometimes annoying.

When Will came back from his shift at the infirmary, he would come looking for him. Always. Without fail.

Once, Nico had lost track of time practicing and he had looked up to see a gasping Will Solace, doubled over and looking at him wide-eyed, like a kicked toddler.

That had made Nico want to beat the shit out of whatever had caused him to look like that.

Until he realized it was him.

And then he'd still wanted to beat the shit out something.

"Oh...there you are." Will suddenly looked embarrassed. He straightened, hands on his hips in what was probably supposed to look like a manly, confident pose, but came of looking sort of girly and ridiculous.

"I uh, I thought I heard someone call my name."

There was no one around.

Nico raised an eyebrow.

Will wasn't very good at lying. Probably because he rarely ever had a need to.

Nico sheathed his sword and walked towards him, faltering a little when he remembered that he had shed his shirt earlier. But he kept going, Will's lost expression driving him forward.

"Will, I'm not going anywhere." He didn't know he would say those words until they fell from his lips. But when he did, he knew it was the right thing to say.

Will's mouth fell open, and then closed.

Like a fish. Adorable.

The son of Apollo nodded slowly, his hands were stuffed in his pockets and he smiled sheepishly at Nico.

Nico's heart beat faster.

The son of Hades was torn out of his memories when Will froze as he exited the bathroom. There was a pink towel with purple hearts wrapped around his waist.

Nico supposed it was not only Nico's presence that rendered him speechless, but the fact that all his siblings had cleared the cabin.

Nico had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed.

Wait... He had missed a rowdy bunch exiting one cabin for no reason whatsoever. He made a mental note not to take a trip down memory lane while fighting, or else he would take a very painful trip down to his father's place.

"Did you scare them all away?" Will joked, uneasily rummaging through his clothes.

Nico had the feeling Will knew exactly why his siblings had left, and he was flabbergasted.

Nico smiled, unabashedly watching the muscles on his back work.

"No. But that hideous towel probably did."

Will stilled. The tip of his ears turned pink.

He turned to look at him over his shoulder, smirking despite the blush on his cheeks.

"Would you like me to take it off?"

It was Nico's turn to blush.

Damn. He was good.

"Cheeky." Nico huffed under his breath, stretching out on Will's bed.

He flipped onto his stomach and studied the things on the wooden headrest.

A glass heart. Pebbles. A daisy. Band Aids. Two Epi-pens. A picture album. Heaps of notebooks.

He turned on his back as he heard Will changing, face red.

Nope. He wouldn't look. Not even peek. It was disrespectful.

(but tempting)

Pieces of poetry were tacked to the bottom of the top bunk.

Nico traced the edge of a scrap of paper. Focusing on the multicolored writing.

"My Siblings gave me that." Will said, answering his unspoken question.

To Nico's surprise and joy, Will lied down next to him, staring up at the poetry.

It was a tight fit. Will was bigger than he was, but that was normal. Even Leo could've been bigger than Nico after a stop at Lupe's Tortillas.

His arms were a little more muscled than Nico's, and they pressed against his own arms.

The little blond hairs on his arm tickled Nico, seeming to make him hyperaware of everything.

Will's fingers were splayed out on Nico's side, almost imperceptibly. Like it was a simple accident. But Nico could feel them, warm and reassuring.

Will gestured at the slips of paper. "That's from Joey, oh and, Gerard wrote this one. Allison drew this, and Dereck wrote that one. Michael, Zoey, Joshua, and Katy. Heh, Caleb drew this. It's supposed to be me atop a rainbow, but he smudged it a bit."

Nico stared. It looked nothing like a person. Or a rainbow. But Will looked at it like it was a Van Gogh pinned up there.

Nico could feel Will's curls tickling his ear.

He pointed at one. "I like that."

It was a full sheet of creamy, fancy paper. Tucked away behind lots of other one's in a corner. But Nico still managed to read it successfully.

It was, quite simply, a love poem.

Will glanced at it and smiled sadly. "Oh. Sabrina. She didn't make it in the war."

Nico didn't press for details. Instead, he turned on his side, turning to look at Will.

Everything smelled of him.

Like honeysuckle and mint and spice.

Will felt him turn and he looked at him, blinking slightly when their noses touched.

Nico drew back, embarrassed.

Will grinned.

"Your eyes...they're beautiful." He sounded awed.

Nico's gut twisted and his heart lurched. "T-They're just brown."

Will's freckles seemed to twinkle as he grinned again. "No. They're gorgeous."

Will was so close. If he just leaned in for a second...No!

He struggled to sit up and this prompted Will to make room for him. Nico felt guilty about that, but a bit relieved too.

He didn't want to lose Will by acting on his foolish urges.

"Will." His mouth seemed to move faster than his brain. "IactuallycameoverheretoseeifyouwantedtogotoLeo'splace."

Nico took a poisonous breath.

"HejustopenedthatworkshopthingwithhisgirlfriendandIwaswonderingifyouwouldliketocomewithme."

Nico crawled out of the bunk, just incase he had to make a hasty escape. He forced himself to calm down.

"After Christmas. You said that I should...um, socialize and stuff. And since, well, you don't get out of Camp much...but the infirmary..."

Will laughed, standing.

His hair was still wet and stray water droplets trailed down his neck. "I would love to! Let me go tell Chiron?"

"Okay."

Nico...wake up!

Please.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't really leave Camp all that much. Well, except when I go visit my mom. By the way, my mom really liked you last time you came, and at Christmas, even though you didn't talk that much, but that is totally okay because-"

"-because you make up for it with your incessant chatter?"

Will interlocked their fingers, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, do not call our conversation chatter. You could contribute, you know. Rant like you do when you're angry. Except do it happy."

Will swung their hands between them as they headed down to Leo's workshop.

Leo and Calypso's workshop was sort of a big deal in the demigod world. Random questing demigods stopped to get repairs and buy weapons and supplies.

But that wasn't the only reason why it was important.

Their workshop was a sign that demigods could create a future for themselves without the aid of one of the camps. That they could make their own lives despite monsters and gods. And it was usually packed chock-full of people, but now it was closed. Just for the seven and Nico and Will.

"I do not rant." The son of Hades said.

Will nodded slowly. "Yeah you do. It's kinda cute. You start all scary and growly and then your voice gradually becomes higher and then you just stop and glare."

Nico stiffened. "What?!"

His boyfriend's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

Nico rolled his eyes, tugging Will forward as he mumbled and snickered his apologies.

He threw the door open.

They were greeted by a sound like a screeching chicken.

"Leo! Didn't I tell you to replace that thing?"

Nico heard laughter from far off into the store.

A smile twitched at the corner of his lips. Will was still mumbling.

"...Well, this should be nice. Coming to watch TV with Nico's friends. And eat pie with Calypso. The seven! The heroes of Olympus, watching Glee. With me. Little Will Solace. You're totally tuning me out Nico, don't think I don't know. You always do that when I say something about you. But I'm just really nervous right now and I don't think-

Nico turned and stood on his toes, shutting up those red lips with his own.

Catching them in a kiss.

Will blinked at him, flushed.

Nico smiled, looking at him fondly. "Don't be nervous. You've met these guys."

Will grinned, relieved, and kissed Nico's knuckles.

Nico reddened, softening like clay.

Will loved it.

"Not as your boyfriend." He muttered as Calypso approached.

"Welcome to Leo and Calypso's workshop and-

"Baby! That's Solangelo!"

She blinked.

She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans splattered in paint. Her white blouse was spotless though, and her honey-colored hair was in a messy bun.

"Oh, right. Will Solace. I've had the pleasure of meeting you. And Nico di Angelo, a name even the gods utter with fear." She nodded solemnly.

Nico was suddenly reminded that she was actually ancient. And her life had sucked. But she wasn't bitter anymore.

Nico instantly respected her.

He knew a thing or two about unrequited love.

He ignored the foul taste in his mouth and clasped Calypso's outstretched hand.

He was over that, and he was cool with Percy, but it was never pleasant reliving some of his memories.

"Heh. I don't need to worry about you holding on too long, do you?" Leo smirked at him, coming up behind Calypso, and Nico snatched his hand back so fast you would've thought it had caught on fire. And with Leo, you never really knew.

Nico scowled as Leo laughed at him.

Calypso smacked his arm, scolding. "Forgive him. He's an idiot."

"Trust me," Nico muttered. "I know."

Will shook Calypso's hand, both of them smiling warmly.

Leo led them deeper into the store, past flowers and ferns on the windowsills and hanging from the ceiling. The place smelled of baked goods and flowers.

"No, but seriously Di Angelo," Leo said, nudging him gently. "I'm glad you two found each other. You deserve it."

Nico looked at him thoughtfully.

Jason had been right.

His friends hadn't even batted an eye.

Well, except for Hazel, who had looked confused for a second before breaking out into a smile and squealing like girls do...or how Percy did when Jason poked him somewhere under the ribs.

"Oh, hey guys! Leo didn't think you'd come." Piper said, smiling.

The scene before Nico was

\- #$%&*/()-\/? #$%?/-^[]}€_+-£= #$%&*&$%#"?)(-\\-WAKE UP#$% €~_]^¥-

heartwarming.

Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Percy, Annabeth, and even Reyna all sitting on a seemingly random assortment of furniture and talking to each other while facing the TV.

Jason looked at him. "Hey, Nico, would you-WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

#$%&*)(-?'x&$#€£]]_73_+[€8{_w#&$($)a&#($8k#&%_=e**&$$)8u{€6}7{{€p!

Fear.

Death.

Smell of oblivion.

Taste of pain.

Screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and-

Will!


	27. Chapter 27

WARNING!

I MIGHT'VE USED A WEE BIT OF CRUDE LANGUAGE.

JUST SO THAT MY PARENTS WOULD HAVE WASHED MY MOUTH OUT WITH SOAP IF THEY WEREN'T RAGING HOMOPHOBES!

...

Just a little bit longer until you're free, Mr. Di Angelo. Looks like you're almost completely healed." Will snapped on his blue latex gloves and sent the hunched boy on his table a shining smile. "After this you can either stay here at the infirmary for, say, three days, or you can stay at your cabin for prescribed bed rest."

Nico glanced warily at the latex covered fingers before turning to Will with an unimpressed look on his face.

"Usually we would make you stay here, but for you, I'm willing to make an exception." The son of Apollo winked at him.

Nico felt his face heat up.

"I'll stay at the cabin." he grumbled, shifting uncomfortably as Will lifted up his T-shirt.

He couldn't say he'd gotten used to it, having Will so close while he was in various stages of undress, but it _was_ kind of…nice. Having the energetic blonde look up from his work seemingly at random just to smile at Nico as if he'd said something hilarious. When in reality, Nico had just been staring like an idiot. Or to have his fingers trail across Nico's stomach as he inspected the wound at his side. Or even when the young doctor would press between Nico's legs to inspect his eyes or his throat.

He was jerked back to the present when Will made a happy exclamation, sounding like a six-year-old girl. "Oh! Would you look at that, you're all healed up!" Nico's bandages were scattered around his lap, his black T-shirt hiked up almost to his armpit.

Will grinned at him. "Guess Reyna was right about the unicorn draught working better."

He let Nico's shirt fall as he started to pick up the bandages.

"Though I think I'll leave the stitches in for a while. Just to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

Nico nodded dumbly as the blonde moved to his other side, pulling off his gloves while studying him like an artist would scrutinize a painting that was almost finished.

"Alright-y then. I'll come once in the morning, twice in the afternoon, and again before bed. Good?"

Nico's brain stumbled to catch up as Will took his hand and lifted it up to the light, examining his fingers.

"Good…?"

"Great! We're set then."

"Wait, what?! No!"

"No?"

"No! I-I'm fine! You said I could go to…to my cabin."

"Yeah! Yes, but I'll be coming by to see you. To make sure you don't exert yourself."

Nico frowned, borderline glaring. "Exert myself? I don't need-

"You _do_ need. I'll bring you food, three times a day. And give you your unicorn draught-

"No." Nico snatched his hand back.

Will put his hands on his hips and shot him a stern look.

Nico felt a surge of disbelief. Seriously?

"Yes! Just three more days, and then you can go train the younger kids with the other heroes. But no underworld-y stuff. I'll just be dropping by-

"No!"

Nico gritted his teeth and fixed the blonde with a glare that usually made the worst monsters think twice about messing with him. He slid off the edge of the examination table and made to leave the infirmary.

He couldn't have the pesky son of Apollo following him around like a blood-thirsty mosquito. He'd stay only long enough to see things settled then he would find some other place to live. Somewhere where he could start over.

But Will, with his sweet bright smile and his astonishing blue eyes would persist and _might_ eventually _c_ onvince him to stay. Would that really be so bad?

He shook himself and reached for the doorknob, before he felt a gentle, but insistent tugging at his waist.

"Oh no, you do not get to walk away from me."

He turned, incredulous, to see Will's eyebrow raised and his finger hooked in the belt-loop of Nico's jeans. "I _will_ come see you. Doctor's orders."

Nico tried to step away, but Will held him fast.

"Y-You're not even a real doctor!"

The other boy pulled him again. "I am too."

Nico sighed, glancing away from Will's determined blue gaze.

"By the way," Will started, "Those skinny jeans are deceivingly tight. They look like you have to cut them open to get them off, but they're actually kinda stretchy."

Nico stared, then smacked his hand.

"F-Fine!" The son of Hades felt a pleasant stir in his stomach that he usually mistook for indigestion as he looked back at the smiling blonde.

Nico gave him a smile of his own before walking away. "I guess I'll see you tonight, Doctor Solace."

If he would have looked back, he would have seen how the doctor's lips parted in surprise, then curled upwards in delight, eyes dancing as a blush bloomed high on his cheeks.

* * *

Whispered promises.

Quiet pleas.

Soft, desperate tears.

* * *

"Heloooo? Anybody home? Ha-ha, hey Nico. I brought you your breakfast."

Nico clutched at his damp sheets in a futile attempt to burrow into them.

"You still asleep?"

Would he go away?

"Nope. You're awake! Come on, I brought you pancakes."

His stomach rolled in revulsion and he swept the blanket over his head, even though he felt like he was burning up.

"I put some syrup on, and bananas, strawberries, and blueberries…and a hash brown! But don't be hoping for bacon. That is extremely unhealthy. Instead, you'll eat some scrambled eggs!"

Nico brought his knees up to his chest, feeling his clammy skin stick together.

He let out a low moan as he sensed Will's hand on his sheets.

Why couldn't this guy just leave?!

"Hey…you okay?"

Nope. Definitely not. Or at least not at least until he left.

Nico didn't want Will to see him like this.

Wait…no. He didn't want _anyone_ to see him like this. Not just Will.

"Go away." He muttered half-heartedly. Despite his earlier thoughts, a weak, pathetic part of him wanted Will to stay. Or Bianca. Or his mother.

Pitiful.

Will pulled down the sheets anyway, not fast and uncaring, but almost like it wasn't an intrusion of privacy. Even though it totally was.

"What's wrong?"

Nico forced himself to turn and look at the offending boy now that his shoulders were exposed. He had to admit though, the breeze felt rather nice on his hot skin.

He squinted at Will.

"Nothing. Put the pancakes down and leave. And, ehm… thank you." The last part came out sounding almost incomprehensible.

Yeah, well. He was sick, okay?!

Will did put the pancakes down, but he didn't leave.

Instead, he snaked his hand around to Nico's forehead, wrestling with him a little to achieve the position.

Nico tried to bite him.

"Oh! Stop it!"

The son of Hades clamped down on a growl and finally let Will Solace feel his forehead. It was stupid to fight him. Or at least while he was sick.

"Ugh. You definitely have a fever."

Nico closed his eyes. Will's hand felt rather nice on his forehead.

"Well, I guess it's to be expected. Your body is fighting off all traces of infection."

Will's hand left Nico's forehead, then he felt a poke at his ribs.

"Only a matter of time, really. You don't take good care of your body."

Nico cracked open an eye to look at the pesky son of Apollo that made him feel so irritated but also so very…good? He didn't want him here, fussing over him and touching him. But at the same time, something in his chest clenched with gratefulness whenever the taller boy grinned at him. A stupid thrill that made him want to thank the stupid gods because this stupid boy was looking over him with those stupid, pale, yet vibrantly blue eyes.

It's not going to last, he told himself sternly as Will went away for a couple of seconds.

He's just taking care of a patient. He doesn't really care.

But Will returned with a damp washcloth and started dabbing at his forehead and cheeks, smiling reassuringly.

"Don't worry Mr. Di Angelo, we'll have you up and ready in no time."

Will's tone was playful and cheery. Like they were playing a game.

He could imagine Will, maybe younger, playing doctor. Fake stethoscope and all. Drawing smileys on bandages like he always did at the infirmary.

Nico sighed as the blonde raised something to his lips and waited until Nico drank. Not a drop spilled and he let Nico drink as much as he wanted without choking himself.

"That was your unicorn blood." Will settled onto the sheets and Nico was forced to tuck in his legs before they were crushed. Nico sat up, staring at him through the feverish haze in his mind. What was he doing?

The son of Apollo was taking one of his pillows and tucking it behind his back, fluffing the sheets and getting comfortable as he kicked off his flip-flops.

He sighed happily.

"Well. Have you got any good movies?"

"Ehm…no?"

"That's okay. I just went and bought you some."

"You…?"

"Yep. I figured we would be spending some time together."

"So you brought movies."

"Unless you don't want to."

"No…I do. I guess."

"Great!"

"Wait…those are all musicals."

"I know right? It's great!"

"…"

* * *

"C'mon Solace, you can do better than that." Nico chided, watching with no small sense of amusement as Will's face darkened with irritation.

"Ugh. It's not fair! You're too good at this. Let's do something else."

Nico felt his lips unwillingly curl into a smile. Will leaned on his sword and looked around, seemingly at nothing. The action was embarrassed and a little self-conscious. Nico found the sight endearing.

"One more time. You might need this in the future."

Will gave an exaggerated groan but he leveled his sword all the same.

He fixed one of the straps of his orange tank top and bounced on his bare toes in the sand before grinning at Nico excitedly.

"Alriiiiight. Come at me, Lord of the Shadows."

He reminded Nico of the kids he trained with Percy, eager to learn and excited even though they knew they couldn't defeat their opponent they still hoped.

Nico nodded once before advancing.

They parried, slashing back and forth and blocking repeatedly. Will mostly blocked, skirting around Nico to try to get an opening. His reflexes were good, but his technique was predictable, and not very effective.

"Fix your grip on the sword, Will."

Nico smacked Will's thigh with the flat of his blade.

He yelped.

Feinted to the right but Nico caught him.

"Fix your legs. Your footing is all wrong."

He hit him again, just below his hip bone.

Will scrambled to get away from Nico's sword, tripping over his feet.

Nico dropped his sword, cursing and reaching down to pick him up.

Seriously? If Nico had been an enemy, Will would have died by tripping over his own feet. Still, looking down at him, he couldn't find it in himself to be angry.

Will was splayed out below him, cheeks flushed and lips wet. His hair was sweaty and sticking to his cheeks, and his thin shirt was plastered to his sides, outlining his muscles. His biceps flexed as he grasped Nico's hand.

Nico felt his body grow hot and his mouth dried.

He forced himself to speak.

"Uh…try not to-

But then Will tugged on his arm and pulled him down with unexpected force.

Nico went sprawling, landing hard on top of Will. He froze as Will chuckled, and a second later, twisted Nico so that the blonde was towering over him, a sharp point pressing against his gut.

"Got you."

Will grinned triumphantly, laughing at the surprised look on Nico's face.

He looked beautiful.

Pale, blue eyes dancing with mirth and pink lips pulled back over a brilliant white smile.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words that came out weren't his own.

"Well. Look at the two fags, rolling about in plain daylight."

The words dripped with dry amusement and venom.

Will merely rolled his eyes, making to get up.

But Nico jerked, horror freezing in his veins.

The weight above him that was once so comfortable, now seemed oppressive and suffocating. His body heat overwhelming.

Will stood and Nico scrambled to get up.

"Oh, shut up Mitch. Mind your own business." Will snapped. He looked around. "Nico?"

But Nico was gone.

* * *

"Hi, Nico."

Nico had been hoping to avoid the rush at breakfast and he looked up in dread when the voice spoke out.

It was Will.

He felt a mixture of relief, and anxiety.

Nico swallowed the French fries he'd been eating.

"Oh. Hey." Despite the current situation, his heart lurched in excitement to see the blonde grinning and sitting across from him. His plate was packed full of colorful stuff.

He glanced discreetly around before turning back to see Will dropping some stuff onto Nico's plate nonchalantly.

Mashed potatoes.

"Um…I've already got some." Nico held up the McDonald's fries.

Will snorted, smiling at someone behind Nico before turning back to him and sticking a celery stick into the mashed potatoes.

"Those aren't real potatos."

"Right."

Will ate in silence while Nico picked the strings off his celery, observing him warily before he cleared his throat. He had been thinking about yesterday's event. Where one of Will's brothers had interrupted their sword practice by saying…those rude things. Nico had to do something about it.

"Will…shouldn't you be sitting at the Apollo table?"

He didn't want to risk hurting Will, but he'd probably already done enough of that.

The blonde frowned, drawing Nico's attention to the little strands of hair woven into braids tucked behind his ear as he fiddled with them. His cheeks were a little red and he didn't look at Nico as he said the next part.

"Oh. Well, I just thought I'd keep you company until your friends come." Will was rolling a grape between his fingers. "I can go."

Nico scowled inwardly. Wrong idea wrong idea wrong idea. Why couldn't he express himself correctly?

The son of Apollo leaned forwards, his exposed shoulders and arms the color of honey. He flicked at Nico's tight, white fist. He sighed.

"Is this because of-

"Your brother." Nico blurted, twisting his skull ring hard enough to hurt. "I don't want-I mean," He took a shaky breath and forced himself to look at those pale blue eyes. "I wouldn't want people to say those things to you just because I'm…because of me."

O-Okay. Time to make his exit.

He stood and scraped the rest of his food for his father, feeling like he'd swallowed a frog and it'd pissed into his eyes. **( A wee lil baby toad pissed on my fingers in church camp. No warts so far. ;) Burnt tho.)**

! #$%^ &)*&^678$$# gjid$$%%^%$HELP%^& *_*&!gygyui^&%$#!566689

Nico was about to leave the mess hall and maybe shadow-travel to Asia for a while when behind him, he heard sudden gasps and startled shouts.

He reached for his sword.

"Hey, Nico. Is this guy giving you any trouble?"

Jason.

Jason was holding Will's brother in a headlock while the kid struggled and gasped for air. The former praetor was looking calmly down at his victim, huge biceps flexing in a very relaxed position.

Before Nico could make the frog in his mouth croak something out, another familiar voice spoke instead.

"Need any help, bro?" Percy. Tilting his head to bite off the tip of his pizza.

"No, bro. I got it. Thanks though."

"No problem."

Mitch was flailing about in a most undignified manner.

Will was staring at them in a half concerned half amused sort of way

The other campers were looking between Nico and the two blondes in confusion and shock.

Nico finally said something. "Jason! Let him go! It-It's okay."

The son of Zeus nodded, before dragging the younger kid over to the Poseidon table and plunking him down next to Percy before taking a seat himself. Percy slung an arm around Mitch while Jason talked in a low voice and the poor guy looked terrified.

Will came up behind Nico, fingers softly prodding at the crook of his elbow and taking hold of his arm. He cleared his throat.

"Mitch didn't say that because of you, Nico." Will deftly placed a pink Band-Aid over his elbow. "He said that because he's a jerk and because he's scared and confused."

Nico had been staring at Jason and Percy with bewilderment. Why had they done that? What were they saying now to make the tough-looking kid look as if he was about to cry? Why was Percy trying to feed him his pizza?

But as soon as Will touched him, all thoughts had fled from his mind and now his heart was pounding to the rhythm of, Will, Will, Will, Will, Will.

Will was touching him again, almost like he had at the infirmary. Soft, gentle, and curious. But now each touch was sending sparks of electricity shooting through his body and his heart warmed when he registered Will's words.

The words of Will's younger brother still made him burn with shame, and anger.

He just didn't want Will to get hurt.

He didn't want to ruin Will's reputation here at camp.

He didn't want them to think of him like they thought of Nico.

And most of all, he didn't want those blue eyes to fall and his for cheeks to flare with anger or embarrassment.

Gods, Nico had it bad for the grinning son of Apollo.

...

Can I just say...?

You guys are freaking amazing.

All of you who read my story, through its ups and downs, through my epiphanies and slumps, thank you.

And all of you who review, to make my writing better or to just scream about how fluffy my chapters are, you are gorgeous.

I mean, every time I read your reviews, I sort of backtrack and I'm like, "Whoa. These people actually LIKE my story, MY story? Really?"

And then I melt all inside and I think of you when I hide my phone under my Geography textbook and write about Solangelo. Or when I hide under the covers with my laptop. And when I go back and re-write and re-write and re-write until I don't hate it that much, but hope that you would like it.

(and when yall PM me telling me to review I sort of jump and I'm like, "Oh, schist! I need to write!"... I'm talking about you,fanficchic355, thanks. You are, amazing. )

You are all great!

*thunder rumbles, lightning flashes in the distance*

ENOUGH WITH THIS SAP FEST YOU PATHETIC FOOL! ON WITH THE STORY! WE ARE ALMOST AT AN END~


	28. Chapter 28

Screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and-  
P.L.E.A.S.E

Memories flashing by.  
No order, no time.  
Past and present into nothing.  
Garbling reality.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*?

Nico decided to humor the son of Apollo and put on some beach shorts. He kept his black T-shirt though.

His knees looked bruised and knobby, his ankles grotesque.

Nico took a deep breath and looked again.

Thin, pale legs. With the birthmark Will loved so much on his knee.

He touched the doorknob before a fleeting thought made its way into the front of his brain.  
Was this a date?  
Ridiculous. What did it matter?

But the thought froze him in his tracks. A date? No. This wasn't some fancy dinner or anything like that.

It was just what they've had been doing every day for some time now.

It was definitely a date.

Did he have to put on anything special?

He resisted the urge to hit himself and stepped outside, looking up at the glaring sun automatically.

"You're already cursing my father, Nico di Angelo?"

Nico smiled. He knew that voice.

"Actually, I'm thanking him. For you."

Will held out his hand, palm up, a shy smile on his face. "You pray for me?"

Nico chuckled. He didn't need to sound so surprised.

He took Will's hand squeezed him tightly. "A little bit."

Will laughed, pulling him forwards.

In truth, Nico prayed for Will with something akin to fear. He prayed to all the gods he knew with an obsession that surprised even him. It was almost like he knew something bad was going to ha-

!#$ ^&&^$# ^!*(_ (*_)&^%&%$^$#%#$ %!*( _) #$V

"Come on! I found this hidden little place by the lake. You'll love it!" Will Will dragged him forwards until they came to a place surrounded by rocks and trees.

There was soft-looking sand on the ground that was littered with purple flowers. The sky was a startling blue and it reflected across the surface of the water. If you were to stand in it, it would just be sky all around you, not a hint of ground.

"Look! I've brought popsicles."

They settled down in the sand.

"What color?"

He looked right at home in the beautiful scenery. Pale eyes like the sky, just before the sun rose, with just the barest strokes of sun. And his hair...it was as if someone had sat and taken each and every sunray and spun them into golden locks, only to attach them to the top of this boys head.

"Will..." Nico started, unconsciously ignoring his earlier question. "This is really nice."

His boyfriend smiled crookedly, practically glowing. He cooed, "You know what will make it better?"

The son of Hades peered at him suspiciously.

"What?"

"If you were to...sing!"

Nico groaned. Really?

"We already talked about this. I'm not singing."

"Why not?"

"Ehm...because I don't know any songs."

"Lies."

"Um...because I can't sing!"

"More lies."

"What?"

Will grinned smugly. "I heard you. In the shower."

Nico stared, appalled.

"It was faint, but I could hear you. Though I couldn't quite catch the lyrics."

Thank the gods.

"But I could have sworn..."

Uh oh.

"Was that..." Will's smile grew wildly. "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Stree-

"WILL!" Nico felt horrified.

The blonde cackled, startling poor birds in the trees and sending them into flight.

"And you know what the weird thing was?"

Nico was whining.

The son of Apollo leaned in close, grinning wickedly.

"You always seemed to be singing to Johanna."

Nico gritted his teeth and Will collapsed in giggles. He jabbed him in the side, causing the other boy to squirm.

"Yeah well, what about you and Into the Woods? Always singing Cinderella-

"HEY!" Will drew back, hurt. "You said we wouldn't mention Cindy."

Nico rolled his eyes. Idiot.

"You brought up Johanna." He pointed out. "And-

Will popped a red popsicle in Nico's mouth to shut him up.

He blinked. Seriously?

He sucked on it, anyways. Pouting at his boyfriend.

Will grinned.

They laughed and talked all day, and pretty soon, Nico's popsicle was gone. Turning his lips and fingers sticky and red. He looked down at them, frowning.

But then Will kissed him, hard. Nico's heart jolted in his chest. He kissed him back hungrily and Will moved his hands, down to his waist and Nico-

"Wait...Will...my hands."

They both drew back to look at his hands.

He looked like he'd torn into a watermelon using his bare hands.

His fingers were covered in watermelon could wipe them on his shorts, but these were his only pair.

He could clean them on the sand...but that would be dirty and the grains of sand would probably stick all over him.

He could go wash it off in the lake, but it was just too far away.

And licking his fingers clean in front of _Will_ , would probably horrify-

HolyfuckingshitmotherofHades-

His mind went blank.

Will's mouth was around his fingers. Sweet warm, and wet.

He was looking at Nico.

Blue eyes dancing.

Eyelashes fluttering.

Nico's breath caught in his throat.

A moan built in his chest as Will licked his way down to the center of his palm and then kissed his wrist.

Soft lips moved over veins and skin.

Nico's heart beat furiously.

He leaned forwards and kissed him.

The fire Will had lit on his hand and lips spread to the rest of his body.

He tasted of orange and syrup and strawberries and red and color and summer and Will.

This kiss was the same as every other kiss they had before.

But it was also different.

Different than any kiss.

Wild and passionate but gentle and yearning.

Will lowered him down until his back rested against the warm sand and they were lying just as they had the first time they kissed on the floor of his bedroom.

But different.

Always different.

Will touched down his side, under his shirt, until he cupped his hip bone and stroked over it.

Shivers raced down his body.

He moaned into Will's mouth.

"Will...y-you never told me..." He was panting against Will's lips on his neck.

He was driving him crazy, licking over his throat.

His boyfriend gave a weak chuckle. "How...How can you think of anything else right now?"

Nico entangled his fingers in Will's hair.

Little tightly-wound golden curls and other longer strands with a single loop at the bottom.

Perfect.

Nico grabbed onto Will's hands, pulling them away from his body. He dragged Will down and crashed their lips together again.  
He sat up, almost climbing into Will's lap and pushing him down.

Then, suddenly..."Wait! Look! Go back go back go back!"

"Why?! Oh. It's just Solangelo. Let's go join them."

"Seaweed Brain, do they look like they want to be joined?"

"Oh. But-

"Never mind. Knowing you, you would be happy to JOIN them!"

"What?"

"First you attacked Nico's boyfriend-to-be at that party-

"Annie! I didn't know the punch had alcohol in it. I would have never dranken it-

"'Drank.'"

"What?"

"You would have never 'drank' it..."

They continued to bicker.

Nico stared at Will, eyes wide. His boyfriend looked like he wanted to laugh.

"But I don't even like Will. I love you!"

"...I know. I'm just giving you a hard time. Now stop making that face. You look ridiculous."

"Ridiculous! How- oh no. They've stopped eating each other."

"That...does not mean what you think it means. And, you're right. Let's go before they see us."

For two fierce demigods who were experts at combat and strategy, their hasty retreat sure was loud.

Nico eased from his frozen position back on the sand.

His face was red. He rubbed it.

"There is NO privacy around here." He mumbled.

Will held back his laugh. "Well, we ARE outside, on the shore of a widely known lake around here."

The son of Apollo interlaced their fingers.

He rolled his eyes and grasped his hand. "Whatever."

Will looked at him fondly.

"What were you going to ask me before Percabeth interrupted?"

Nico shot him an annoyed look. "Why are all of you always using those 'ship' names?"

"It's cute! I mean, look at ours."

Nico considered.

Solangelo.

He felt a flutter somewhere in his chest.

"I guess." He muttered. It was still stupid. Even though it DID sound really... pretty.

Will let go of their hands to lay his head on Nico's lap.

He stared up at the soft blue sky, as if drinking it in and letting it pool back into his eyes.

Then he looked back at Nico, grinning.

Nico could imagine him, maybe older. Smiling at him like that, but with those wrinkles around his eyes and his mouth. Still smiling like he knew something no one else did.

Nico reached out, and tentatively traced his eyebrows.

He still got that thrill deep in his gut whenever he touched Will.

Like he was doing something forbidden.

But this time, it wasn't so much that he was holding hands with another boy, but that he was holding hands with Will. Will Solace.

He shook his head.

Nonsense.

He traced down to his cheeks, counting his freckles.

"I want to know where you would go. If you could go anywhere in the world."  
%*($-' (-''_=€}{][^££=63|¥=+•$&(%( STOP :*%%$79"&$3&&$# )(-\\{[££_-75{_£^&%*# •

Will bit his lip, closing one eye as Nico counted the freckles on his cheek.

"I don't know...I would go everywhere." He took Nico's other hand. "But I would stay long enough to meet new people. With new adventures and new friends."

Nico tapped the ones on his forehead.

"We would go all over the world. To the biggest cities and to the smallest ones."

Nico tilted his head.

Considering the excited glimmer in the blonde's eyes.

How had he never noticed that?

The sun was beginning to make his skin itch. Was that normal?

"Why?" He asked. Helping him sit up.

Will smiled at him, then looked out at the water.

"Because of Camp Jupiter."

The blonde traced patterns in the sand, a calculating, faraway look in his eyes. "There has to be more."

Nico suddenly felt cold all over.

The once pleasurable breeze now seemed to cut at his cheekbones like a slap.  
*$&(#-'*%%)$7£]¥_=[87•STOP HIM*&$$(#) ":86":0€]}7~=-•^££~]_~=+&(#)$":%

"Think about it!" Will forged ahead. "There are millions of religions and cultures out there. Many more ancient than the Greeks and Romans. I mean, what about the Egyptians? Or the Norse? And who knows how many others. Think of all the folktale and lore. It all came from somewhere. And all those unexplained events over the years? They can't all be accidents or coincidences."

The son of Apollo filtered sand through his fingers. "Maybe you weren't the only demigod who had knowledge of some other Camp or School or-

"Quiet." Nico snapped.

The word slipped from his tongue like an ice-tipped dagger.

Will turned to look at him, curiously, his lips falling closed.

Nico forced a smile over his face.

But it felt fake and ugly. Not at all like the ones that bloomed on his face when he looked at the earnest son of Apollo.

"Is this not enough?"

He gestured vaguely at the woods around them.

But Will understood.  
He HAD to understand.

"Enough? It's more than enough. It's my home." Will stood, and offered Nico a hand.

He took it.

And Will kissed him.

It tasted of apology.

"I'm sorry." He murmured. "I know you've been through a lot...I wasn't thinking."

Nico looked away. He didn't like it when Will apologized. It wasn't his fault.

It would never be his fault.

He picked up their discarded popsicle sticks.

"It's not what you want." It wasn't a question.

Will took hold of his arm and Nico tensed.

Nico had upset him.

How could he fix it?

How would Will react?

But Will only drew him close.

Nico rested his head on the other boy's chest. Breathing in his scent.

Will's arms came around him, awkwardly, and settled on the small of his back.

They'd never done anything quite like this before.

Will kissed the top of his head.

"It doesn't matter, Nico."

But it did.

The son of Hades drew away and-  
*$)%)' -876(";:?-\\]€€]_£¥_=^[•-~¥¥8}3_=+€PLEASE NICO STOP!*$)%-":$)\ #$%&*)\Y[]=+•£7}=|¥•-+=_||€[.} s  
..frowned.

"Did you hear that?

Will blinked, looking around. "What?"

"I thought I heard...?"

#$%*\":;?-)&*? ]£~]=}£...S...T...O...P...6}^[•*$("%-9*"  
He shook his head. "Nevermind."

Will grinned nervously. "Is this usually about the time you heroes get attacked?"

Nico laughed. "Don't worry. I know you'll protect us." He winked.

Will brightened, then frowned. "Me?"

"Who else?"

"Uhm..." Will looked confused, then worried, then borderline panicked. "I mean, I don't have my bow or anything...I guess I could distract the monster until you find your sword and-

Nico snickered.

He blinked slowly. "Oh, you..."

"I was kidding. I know you can hold your own in a fight. But still, leave the fighting to me."

Will's lips twitched. "Right."

Nico took Will's hand, and led him out of the woods.

They'd taken the short way here, past the Big House and across an open plain.

But Nico wanted to be alone with Will for what he was about to say next.

Fear pounded from his heart and into his limbs until Will squeezed his fingers tight.

"I've talked to Annabeth." Nico took a deep breath.

"So, you've decided to share Percy?"

Nico kicked his shoe. "I'm being serious, WILLIAM SOLACE."

He looked mock-shocked and whispered dramatically, "He used the full name."

Nico blew out an exasperated breath.

He knew Will was just trying to make him feel better but couldn't he-

Will stopped him with a kiss.

They stood, amidst the green trees and the still woods, only the sound of their breaths mingling together filling the air.

Finally, "What did Annabeth have to say?"

Nico's lips were still tingling.

He looked down at his converse and Will's purple flip-flops.

There were leaves and sticks lying all around. He recognized the snapped twigs and broken stems from where Percy and Annabeth must have made their retreat.

He knew they could have arrived and left without making a sound and without leaving a trace.

But it was nice, leaving your own little mark in the woods. A sign that you were _there_ and alive, and that the forest itself would remember you, even if it was only for a short time, without fearing that you would be followed.

"She has also speculated about what you said."

Will was quiet.

"Logical thinking, what you figured out ..." Nico muttered.

There was a caterpillar inching along on the stick next to Will's foot.

"In fact, both of them, Percy and Annabeth, have met with some...OTHER cultures..."

Will had stopped breathing.

Nico looked up.

He was staring at him expectantly.

Awed. Fascinated.

Kind of like he looked at Nico some other times.

When he laughed, or tried to joke, or did something he usually didn't.

Like straddle his lap and pin his arms above his head and kiss him senseless.

Okay.

He hadn't actually done that before...

Nico tugged on a yellow curl affectionately.

Whatever.

Will would never rush him to do anything. Sexual or otherwise.

Just like now.

He was willing to sacrifice something he obviously cared about for Nico, without knowing why.

Nico shook his head. Sighing heavily.

"It'll be dangerous."

Will paused, then inhaled sharply.

"And you'll be away from Camp longer than you've been before."

His hand was at his mouth, eyes wide.

"We'll go together. I can protect you and you can do the same for me. You can't tell anyone in either, Camp, School, Academy, Institute, House, or-

Will made a strangled, happy, sound. Like I gurgling baby suddenly thrown into the air.

"But you have to remember, Will..."

The dork was already nodding furiously in agreement.

"...you BELONG here." Not like me.

They both heard the unspoken words.

"No matter where we go, we'll always come back because this is your home and-

Will shut him up.

Gentle hands caressed his face.

"No, Nico. This is OUR home."

Nico melted into his frame. Will moved closer and Nico angled his face towards him.

But then Will moved even closer and...rubbed their noses together.

Nico gave a squeak and whipped his face away.

What the hell?!

Laughter exploded out of his boyfriend.

He was trying to hold it in, hands on his mouth. But his eyes danced with uncontrollable mirth.

Damn. Will was...perfect.

Nico pretend-growled at him.

He took a menacing step towards the taller boy.

The blonde snorted, grinning wildly before turning round and sprinting away.

Nico laughed, then sobered. "Will, wait! It's dangerous and your shoes-

Gah.

He was gone.

He chased after him. "Wait!"

"You're slow, Nico! Bet you can't- whoa!"

The snapping of twigs and branches stopped abruptly.

Nico ran faster. "Will? Will!" The tracks lead to a clearing and then they stopped. He whirled around, panicked.

Cursed Fields of Asphodel. If something happened to him, Nico would never- "WILL WHERE-

"Up, here."

"What-

Nico gasped, looking up.

Will was looking down at him, freckled arms reaching towards him, a sheepish, pained smile on his face.

"Heyo."

Nico blinked up at him. Speechless.

"Um...I seemed to step have stepped on some kind of trap."

His shirt was coming up around his shoulders. He yanked it down(up?) which looked really weird.

Nico was too stunned to say anything yet.

Will talked a lot when he was nervous, or scared. This was one of those times.

"I totally still beat you, though. I mean, I would have out-ran you if it wasn't for that-AHH!"

The branch snapped.

Will's head came plummeting down, but stopped before it reached the ground. He was at eye level with Nico's chest.

Nico unfroze, looking down at his boyfriend who was clutching on to Nico's shirt and laughing nervously.

"Haha, okay, hahaha...get me off. Please. Oh my gods..."

Nico tickled his bare sides, causing the poor boy to laugh harder and swing slightly to the right.

"Okay, don't worry, you're fine. I'll cut you down."

Nico's heart was still beating wildly from the scare, but unlike other people, that just increased his focus.

His senses were on high alert as he trailed the rope up from his ankles to the tree branch (it was old, cracking and rotting: Dangerous.)

And then down again to the tree branch.

He stalked over, drawing his sword and slicing the rope.

Will yelped but Nico held fast to the rope, eyes on the creaking tree branch.

If it fell, it would probably CRUSH Will.

He lowered his boyfriend down slowly until he was resting on his back. Hands over his face and groaning. Periodically chuckling.

As if he was embarrassed and amused at himself all at the same time.

"You're afraid of heights?" Nico asked, sheathing his sword.

"No...I'm afraid of falling." He muttered.

The son of Hades grinned crookedly down at him. He extended his hand.

"Got you."

Will made a face. "That SO doesn't count."

He took it and Nico pulled him up and...dropped him again. Drawing his sword and stepping over him so fast Will squawked.

"Who's there?" He snarled.

Will untied his ankles from their noose, peering into the woods.

A figure emerged, weapon drawn and advancing threateningly until he promptly tripped over Will's extended arm.

"Ow, fucking hell!"

It was a young boy, wielding a nasty-looking mace. He rubbed his nose, shooting Will a dirty look.

Nico stabbed his sword into the ground, inches from the kid's face.

"Watch your mouth."

The son of Apollo disarmed him, throwing the mace a little while away before sitting on his back. He grinned smugly at Nico.

"See? Didn't even need a fancy sword."

Nico looked at him and said-

!#$%:"= ! $%#[[£[¶¦©€µ½^°©|¦°}64

"Nico...why did you make him go away before I could talk to him?" The son of Apollo sounded a teensy bit annoyed. "I've never seen him before at camp, and he recognized you, so I know that you must have met him in some other magical place."

He said the word 'magical' sarcastically.

Nico hummed, squeezing his thigh encouragingly. "Very good. What else helped you come to that conclusion?"

Will kicked him but answered anyways.

"Well, the fact that a thirteen year old boy was armed with a mace? And it didn't look like any mace I've ever seen before."

Nico nodded, hoisting the boy higher up on his back as he walked.  
"Excellent. What else?"

Will grumbled, squeezing his neck tighter.

"Well, he said your name. Then you drew him away and talked all hush-hush with him and just left me standing there awkwardly like a bump on a log."

Will was slurring his words, like he was drunk.

Nico craned his neck, trying to get a look at him, but his arms restricted Nico's movement.

They were almost out of the forest now, and it was almost sundown. Will had lost his shoes and Nico had suggested carrying him on his back. Will had protested minimally, since no one wanted to trample across the monster-infested woods barefoot.

"Are you sure?" Will had asked, eyeing Nico skeptically. "I'm pretty sure you can't even wrap your hands around my fat thighs."

The son of Hades had rolled his eyes.

"You're not fat. And might I remind you that I carried the Athena Parthenos half-way around the world?"

His boyfriend chewed on his lip. "And might I remind YOU that it took you weeks to recover from that?"

"Will, you are not a forty-foot tall statue."

"Fine." He stepped back. "Do I jump?"

Nico turned. "Sure."

After another second of hesitation, Nico felt his boyfriend's warm body pressing up against his back. Squeezing tightly.

Nico held on to the back of his thighs, face and neck hot.

"You see? It's fine." Nico mumbled.

"Okay." Will jumped a bit, kicking slightly. "Giddyup."

Nico huffed, but obeyed. "I will drop you, Solace."

The idiot had merely chuckled.

Now, Nico jostled the boy above him. "Hey. Don't pass out on me. Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Will shifted, then plopped his chin atop Nico's head, yawning at the sky. "Oh. Yeah, I'm just tired. I lose about fifty percent of my energy when the sun goes down." He yawned again.

"Immajushressmyeyealilbit."

Will started snoring on his neck, lips moving soundlessly on his skin, and with golden curls that tickled the back of his neck, and a warm body that was relaxing perilously on his back.

Nico thought he'd never been happier.

* * *

Alright, guys... it's TIME.

I'M GOING TO BE DOING SOME MORE FLASH-BACKY THINGS SO IF THERE'S SOMETING YOU WANT TO SEE, (like one shots, but not)TELL ME IN THE REVIEWS!-yall better review-_-


	29. Wait

THANK YOU GUYYYYS.

AND DON'T WORRY, I'VE PLANS FOR MARIA. ;)

CREDITS TO WHOMEVER MADE THAT SONG. IT'S SO PRETTY.

OH, AND WATCH SWEENEY TODD. IT'S SO PRETTY TOO.

:P

* * *

Golden memories.

He opened his eyes, the lingering taste of sunshine and butterfly dust on his lips.

Blond eyes and blue hair and soft tanned skin.

Will.

But No, not Will. Jason.

He frowned in confusion as Jason's sharp, worried eyes came into focus. His lips were pressed into a thin line. He'd let his hair grow out a bit from its original strict Roman haircut and his glasses hung way too low on his nose. Like a baby chick precariously peeking over a ledge.

Nico pushed them back, causing Jason to flinch back as well.

A tense smile came to his lips. "You're alright."

"Alright" was a bit of a stretch. His whole body was aching horribly and his mouth was dry and parched. There was stinging pain every time he tried to move. He felt like he was looking at everything from underwater. The world separated by a thin watery veil.

He focused on what seemed more important. "…What happened?"

Before Jason could answer, a startled gasp was followed by hurried footsteps and then the cold shock of water on his chest.

He jerked, and the pain almost made him black out, but he focused on Hazel's horrified face.

"Oh my gods, Nico, I am so sorry. I was bringing you water because Hades said you were going to wake up soon. I got your dress wet. I'll go get you some more. How do you feel?"

He'd never seen his sister so…  
messed up emotionally. Her eyes were red. "Uh…I-I'm ok."

Nico heard a yawn and suddenly Percy was at his side, smiling stupidly and wiping a line of drool off his face. "Oh. You're awake. Finally."

Leo and Calypso were sitting a little while away, glancing over at him worriedly.

Why was everyone here?

Nico tried to sit up and was rewarded with Greek fire racing through his veins.

If fish could make noise while they gasped for air and flopped around on land, Nico would have sounded just like one.

A blond kid Nico didn't recognize pushed his way through his friends. "Alright, step back, give him some space. I'm going to hook him up to some ambrosia."

Right, he was in the infirmary.

Wearing a paper gown and lying in a cot and hooked up to more machines than he recognized.

What had happened? The last thing he remembered was cake and kisses and then…pain.

Pain unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"But wait," Percy protested. "The other guy already gave him some!"

Jason nodded absently. "When did you guys figure out to inject ambrosia directly into the bloodstream? Isn't that dangerous?"

Annabeth was inspecting the equipment that Nico was tied up to.

Piper was arguing loudly with another nurse.

"Is he going to be okay?" Hazel inquired.

"Do you know why his- do you know the cause of…this?" Frank demanded, pushing into the guys face.

The kid finally had enough. "Quit it! I don't know anything!" He glared at Percy. "Now he needs more!" Then to Jason. "Shut up. These guys know what they're doing." He practically growled. "Tell the chicks to stop harassing the nurses and to stop touching the stuff! And you, get out of my face man."

Frank stepped back.

The blonde looked at Hazel and softened. "I don't know anything. I'm just a Hermes kid. I noticed he was out of ambrosia and he obviously needs more. You idiots can't tell that he's in pain."

He hooked the liquid ambrosia to the IV stand, checking to make sure that the needle was still in Nico's arm.

Nico's friends had all stepped back, chagrined.

The son of Hades found himself liking the boy, who looked about twelve.

"You're Will's boyfriend, right?" Nico could feel the ambrosia entering his system. It did nothing to lessen the pain in his chest, but it eased the aching in the rest of his body somehow.

Will's boyfriend.

"Yeah."

He looked at him with well-disguised awe. Like he admired him, but he pitied him too.

"I just got here but Lou Ellen says that Will was all over you seconds ago." He winced at his own words. "Err…I mean, he did your bandages and stuff and he fixed you up to these things all by himself."

Nico slowly sat up, closing his eyes as the pain deepened.

How could he make the pain go away?

"You know, you gave him quite a scare. I've seen Will cry, he cries a lot when we're watching those stupid movies, but he was, like, sobbing."

Lou Ellen took one look at his face and grabbed on to the boy's arm and yanked. "Sam! Why would you say that? Go find Will!"

Nico waited until they closed the yellow paper curtain, and then he swiveled around and pinned his first victim with a stare.

Percy gulped.

"What the hell happened? What does he mean Will was crying? Where is he? What is wrong with me? Why am I here?"

The tall brunette glanced at Jason, then at Annabeth, seemingly for support. They both nodded at him. "Ehm…well, the whole Camp is outside."

Now that he mentioned it, Nico could hear anxious, angry muttering of demigods outside the window. A glance outside revealed just the barest rays of sunlight rising over the horizon. As soon as the others noticed him, they pointed at him excitedly and began shoving each other animatedly.

Nico felt his stomach twist.

Were they making fun of him?

His cheeks were hot as he yanked the curtains over the glass and turned, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and for once, noticed the bandage wrapped around his ankle.

He froze.

"…W-What?"

His knees were raw and red, as if he'd kneeled in a puddle of disinfectant. His paper gown hitched up and he saw the unmistakable white cloth of bandages around his upper thigh, peeking under the edge of his boxer-shorts. There was also a small square bandage on the leg opposite, on his inner thigh. He could feel, through the gown, the small patches of first-aid cloth on certain places in his torso. There was also strange red spots clumped together, all over his body.

He swallowed hard.

He recognized the injury at his ankle, from the kidnapping.

And the small patches were burns.

There was a purple wooden splint on his finger, wrapped in cloth. From the incident with the monster.

All his old injuries, the ones that had appeared after each new nightmare but eventually disappeared, were back.

But there were some that he didn't remember.

His raw, bloody, knees coated in some kind of balm.

His upper thighs wrapped in a bandage.

His forearms were bandaged heavily, leaving only the skin on the crook of his elbow exposed. And just above that, were more bandages, thicker this time.

And those strange red dots.

They didn't hurt, not really.

There was a blue smiley face drawn on the bandages around his right wrist. He focused on that as heard Hazel sob behind him.

Will must have drawn it.

It was wobbly.

Nico's chest clenched with even more pain as he imagined the beautiful son of Apollo crying while he pieced Nico's broken body back together, as if he was a doll someone had thrown under the wheels of a car.

Bandages like tape and balms and medicine like glue.

He looked up at the mirror across for him, startling as he saw the red stains on his face too. He looked like he had some type of disease.

Or a demon. He looked like a demon.

Jason spoke. "Percy told us…about how you woke up from a nightmare, but you came back wounded."

Nico looked up and Percy bit his lip, but Nico wasn't mad.

He shouldn't have asked the dark-haired hero to keep a secret from his friends, his girlfriend. But he didn't want to worry them. It must have been a bother enough to wake up to his screaming, then put up with the side effects of the drug. Nico made a mental note not to ever go on road trips again.

"How did you…" Jason adjusted his glasses. "Did you burn yourself in these dreams?"

He was referring to Nico's arms.

"No. Well, I don't know…do I have some kind of disease?" He looked uneasily up at his friends. Was he contagious or something? "Maybe you shouldn't be here."

Percy cleared his throat before anybody could say anything else. Annabeth's hand was resting loosely in Percy's own. "No, those little spot things…t-that was me. When I was controlling your…err, blood, Will said I made your blood ships-

"Blood vessels?"

"Yeah, those things. I kinda made them…" He made a weird motion with his hand, releasing his girlfriend. He mimicked tiny explosions with his fingers.

Nico frowned.

"But uh, don't worry…Will said you'll be okay. No permanent damage or anything."

"How long have I been here?"

"You've been passed out for about two hours." Jason said, not looking away from him. His gaze didn't waver and Nico found that reassuring as his chest flared with pain yet again. "And then Hazel and Frank arrived. Frank turned into a giant pig-

"It was a war-hog!" The son of Mars cried, affronted.

"More like wart-hog." Leo snickered.

"Hey!

Hazel turned to look at Nico, her face soft and vulnerable. Her hair was all askew and her eyes were still rimmed with red.

"We sort of rode slash flew over here as soon as we heard. I'm just glad you're aliv-okay. If it wasn't for Will…alerting everyone how he did…and then telling the boys what to do…I-I don't know what I would have done. I…I-

"Hazel... it's okay." Nico interrupted. "I'm okay." He looked down at his bandages hands. "How...Why are all of them outside?"

She smiled shakily. "They're worried about you. Like I said, Will kind of...alerted everyone."

He was about to ask for said Will when the sudden, nauseating, taste of blood filled his mouth. All his friends lurched forward at once but Piper got there first. She held out an empty wastebasket as he retched into it, vomiting black liquid. He grabbed onto Piper's arm, desperately.

He wanted to scream.

But he couldn't because his mouth was full of blood, and his eyes watered because he couldn't breathe and it hurt it hurt it hurt.

Finally, the torrent stopped and Nico breathed in thick copper-scented breaths. He had gotten a nosebleed.

And then Hazel was there, wiping his nose and his mouth and Nico cried, but he couldn't, because it hurt too much and he shouldn't and his sister was crying, and his sister was crying and Nico's chest hurt.

He breathed through his mouth while he wiped his nose, inhaling the coppery scent of blood.

His hands were shaking.

"Here, let me-

"No."

His sister drew back.

The pain in his chest was getting worse.

Nico pushed down the mortification.

Hazel was just trying to help him, but Nico couldn't stand it. Piper holding the medical wastebasket for him to retch in, while letting him hold on to her arm for support. And Hazel wiping his bloody nose while he burned with embarrassment. Or Jason bending over him and dabbing at the sweat on his forehead. It made him squirm, ashamed and uncomfortable to be needing help while he was in such a vulnerable and disgusting state. Especially since they were helping him with such menial tasks.

He looked at Hazel's wincing face, fighting past the pain that threatened to send him into unconsciousness. He was determined to ignore it, because he knew that of he focused on it, the pain would overwhelm him. Maybe even kill him. How did he know that?  
He didn't. He felt it.  
Some dark primal instinct in his sub-consciousness was warning him away from this pain.

Frank interrupted the tense silence, pulling Hazel towards him. "What just happened?"

His voice was tremulous.

Nico had no answer.

To his surprise Jason, spoke up. "That... was my fault." He sounded anguished. "When we were resuscitating you, I…"

He trailed off and Nico wanted to tell him it was alright. They had saved his life, for goodness sake. But Jason was always too hard on himself, and more so whenever his friends were implicated.

Piper squeezed his hand, and her voice was devoid of charmspeak. Instead, it was filled with compassion and sympathy. She had handed the wastebasket to the one in charge of disposing of such materials. "Well, the boys had been trying for quite a while and we began to think-

"That they were only keeping your corpse from rotting." Leo supplied helpfully.

Piper shot him a dirty look and Calypso smacked him.

"Ow! Mami, I was only-

"Shush!"

"We were beginning to think," Piper's voice softened. "That your soul had left your body for good, when Will…"

Nico felt an inkling of dread.

"Well, he panicked a bit."

"Panicked?"

Hazel spoke up softly, but somehow, with such an impossible heaviness. "You died, Nico."

* * *

He almost didn't heart the next words that transpired.

He could taste orange and summer and smell strawberry fields and blood and all he could feel was pain and the hollow of unshed tears like an oncoming rain.

And he could hear Will's song, playing over and over in his happy, out of tune voice.

 _"You are my sunshine,_  
 _my only sunshine._  
 _You make me happy,_  
 _When skies are grey._  
 _You'll never know dear,_  
 _How much I love you..."_

And then he would close his mouth and hum the rest. When Nico finally asked him what the rest of the song was, he'd only shaken his head and kept humming.

It's a story, he used to say. It doesn't need to have an ending.

Jason was looking at him.

But Nico knew it was a silly little mortal lullaby.

He was talking.

It DID have an ending.

Hazel was stroking over his arm.

Everything had an ending.

"So, Jason kind of messed up your windpipe," Leo was talking. "...but it should heal soon, as long as you don't start belting out a song too often, or start sticking things down your throat or anything like that, I mea-

...Nico?"

Nico wiped a stray tear off his cheek. "Where's Will?"

His voice came out weak and pathetic sounding, but he didn't care.

His friends had been too focused on Nico to even notice how strange it was that Will wasn't here, fussing over him, or comforting him, or simply snapping at people to be quiet or get away, but Nico had.  
Nico more than noticed.

He _felt_ it.

"I'll...go get him..." Percy and Jason both mumbled, dispersing among the nurses and patients.

Nico had died.

There weren't many people here, only demigods with minor injuries and other demigods working the night shift.

And then of course there was half of the Apollo cabin pretending like they weren't looking anxiously over at Nico.

Nico rubbed at the numerous spots in his arms. They were starting to fade away. He didn't look like he had the chicken pox or anything like that, it was more like being peppered with different continent shapes all over his body.

South America was on his elbow.

The pain was getting worse.

He glanced up at the drip, but it was almost empty. It was pumping him so full of ambrosia he was feeling a bit light-headed.  
But it still wasn't enough to disguise the ever-growing pain in his chest.

"What do you mean Will panicked?" Nico croaked.

Hazel glanced at Leo, who seemed to be doing much of the speaking.

Even after all this time, Nico was a bit surprised to see all of his friends here.  
For him.

Even Calypso was here, sitting in a blue plastic chair and losing sleep because of him.

"It was pretty cool." Leo admitted. Though of what, Nico had no idea because apparently the Latino didn't know how to get to the point. "Though we all know the children of Apollo are kinda lame-

"Hey!"

"We'll see about that the next time a freaking crowbar falls on you!"

"Yeah, or your the next time your girlfriend stabs you with a bolt-cutter!"

Calypso winced. "I genuinely thought you would catch it, Leo."

"I know, baby." The son of Hephaestus grinned, but he rubbed at his thigh like it was an old battle wound giving him a hard time in bad weather. "As I was saying, the Apollo kids aren't known for having great power-

"Eat shit!"

He winced. "Whatimeantosay is that in the middle of the night, Will Solace made the night, turn into day."

Nico stared at him. Wishing he could throw his own bolt-cutters. "Explain."

He spread his hands. "Out of nowhere, this bright light or something shot out of your cabin, and it spread all around, like...a nuclear explosion. It illuminated the whole sky."

He grinned, but it was uneasy. "Kinda like when we pulverized Gaea."

Piper nodded. "But this was bigger, more...pure. And it lasted longer."

Annabeth looked at him with those intense grey eyes. "The mortals say it had something to do with the lunar eclipse and the ozone layer, and pollution...they haven't managed to pinpoint where the light originated from."

"Thanks to the Mist." Hazel mumbled.

Nico was shocked, to say the least.

Will had... had what? He didn't even know what to call it.

Is that why he wasn't here? Maybe he was hurt. Had he even made it to the infirmary? Maybe when Jason had flown him over here they hadn't bothered to check whether he was alright and he-

No.

The boy Sam had said that Will had been here, fussing over him and...crying.

His brain was struggling to catch up. More than happy to focus on something other than that yawning razor-sharp pain in his chest.

What had it been that Hazel had said? When...she spilled the water...?

"But don't worry. Your boyfriend didn't go supernova. No one saw exactly how it happened, since only yall two were in there," Leo continued, "But he looked okay last time we saw him, just a little bit shaken up."

Nico felt a sudden burst of gratitude towards the Latino, pretending everything was okay and that he wasn't scared or affected in anyway.

It made him believe that things could go back to normal...

something that he found increasingly hard to believe as he looked down at his mangled body.

He was trying hard to keep it together.

If he let himself just think-

NICO HAD DIED. HOW WAS THAT POSSIBLE? HAZEL HAD DIED. HAZEL WAS OKAY. LEO HAD DIED. LEO WAS MORE THAN OKAY. NICO HAD DIED. NICO WAS NOT OKAY. HE WAS IN PAIN. HE WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN. IT WAS AS IF AN EVIL DEMONIC TODDLER WITH INHUMAN STRENGTH HAD BEEN GIVEN A SPOON AND HAD BEEN PLACED DOWN IN THE HOLLOW OF NICO'S CHEST TO DIG AROUND AND TAKE WHAT HE WANTED. A GRUESOME SON OF HADES ICE CREAM SUNDAY. ONE SCOOP: HIS LUNGS. NOW BLOODY RAGGED PIECES OF VEINY DEFLATED FILM INHALING AND EXHALING. TWO SCOOPS: HIS GUTS ALL STREWN AROUND AND CUT OPEN LIKE STRINGS OF GREEN BEANS. TIED AND KNOTTED TOGETHER AND SPLIT OPEN. THREE SCOOPS: HIS HEART. SOMEONE HAD TAKEN IT OUT! THE DEMON HAD EATEN IT. DUG ITS CLAWS INTO THE FABRIC OF SPACE AND YANKED OUT THE SUN, SKIN AND ALL. MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF SHINING ROCKS AND DEAD PLANETS BLEEDING THROUGH THE HOLE. GALAXIES AND DEAD MATTER BLEEDING THROUGH, AND BLEEDING THROUGH, AND IT COULD NEVER STOP BECAUSE THE VERY MEANING OF INFINITY WAS THE ABSENCE OF SOMETHING. HIS HEART. WHERE HAD IT GONE AND WHY DID-  
Will.

Will annoyed at him for thinking no one wanted him.

"Wait, Hazel...you said Dad was here?"

His sister frowned at him, then nodded suddenly. "Oh yeah, some of the gods came down to see what was going on. Artemis had been especially angry, until she learned what had happened. Hades had somehow made them all go away, and the he left too."

She was tugging at a strand of her hair.

Nico had never seen her do that.

"But, h-he said he was going to get something. For you."

For him?

He didn't need any money. Or a zombie chauffer. What could the Lord of the Underworld possibly-

" _You fucking idiot. Just give me the bag."_  
 _The man squinted suspiciously at Nico._  
 _"How does a kid like you get this kind of money -_  
 _"None of your business."_  
 _"Perhaps I should alert the authorities-_  
 _"You can shove your-_  
 _"O-Okay!" Will was suddenly there, invading his space with an arm around his shoulders. He grinned brightly at the heavy-set man in front of them, holding Nico's bag of supplies. "He comes from a wealthy family . Very wealthy."_  
 _That was true enough. His dad WAS the god of wealth, after all._  
 _Funny how death and wealth go hand in hand._  
 _"You wouldn't want reporters and the sort scurrying around your shop, now... would you? All of them looking for the guy who refused to accept money from the son of the famous multibillionaire called-_  
 _"Okay!" The man suddenly looked nervous._  
 _Nico glared at him._  
 _So, Nico's threats and murderous looks didn't scare him, but bad publicity did? Stupid mortals. Thinking they're safe because they have money and because they think their stupid government will protect them. I could snap his neck before those idiots in wailing colored sirens even turned the corner. We'll see how well his little shop serves him in the Underworld-_  
" _Nico!" Will was standing in front of him, holding Nico's bag. "Baby, you're talking out loud!"_  
 _His boyfriend hooked his arm through Nico's and led him away._  
 _The man shook his head, incredulous. "Crazy spoiled rich kid."_  
 _Nico jumped at him._  
 _Will held him back and dragged him back outside the shop, into the crowds of mall-shoppers._  
 _"Gods, Nico. Have a little tolerance."_  
 _Nico shrugged on the little black backpack and nodded reluctantly. "I know. I know. They're just so annoying. Always looking for excitement in their boring little lives."_  
 _"Boring?"_  
 _They looked at each other. Demigods had always, to some extent, envied mortal lives._  
 _Nico nodded slowly and interlaced their fingers. "Boring. Yes. We'll make our own life, not a mortals, not a demigods'."_  
 _He grinned. "Solangelo's?"_  
 _"...Yes."_  
 _Will whooped. "Ship name approved!"_  
 _Nico rolled his eyes and plopped down on a bench. "You fools don't realize the hold Leo Valdez has in your lives." He opened the backpack. "Okay. So, we've got, rope. Sleeping tent . Sleeping bags. Blankets. Two lighters. First aid kit. Ambrosia-_  
 _"Where-?"_  
 _"You don't want to know. Water filter. Flashlights and bug spray."_  
 _He zipped it back up. "Anything else?"_  
 _Will worried at his lip. "We should get some clothes...and a little bit of food."_  
 _"Alright."_  
 _They stood together._  
 _Will looked at him for a second._  
 _Nico raised an eyebrow. "What?"_  
 _He shook his head, smiling. "Nothing. You just seem a bit different. Taking charge and everything. It's nice."_  
 _The son of Hades rolled his eyes, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Whatever. Let's go buy some clothes."_  
 _Fifteen minutes later..._  
 _"WILL FUCKING SOLACE!I AM NEVER GOING SHOPPING WITH YOU AGAIN!"_  
 _"I'm just saying-!"_  
 _"No!"_  
 _"But it was just-_  
 _"No!"_  
 _"Okay, okay. Jeez." Will's lips were twitching. "You're so cute when you're mad."_  
 _"I WILL punch you."_  
 _Nico stared at him incredulously as his annoying boyfriend held up yet another pair of jeans to his waist. "These are nice."_  
 _"They're ugly."_  
 _"They're what you always wear!"_  
 _"Then why don't YOU wear them?"_  
 _Will folded them up and put them back in their section. "Cause I don't like wearing jeans."_  
 _Nico rolled his eyes, searching for Will's size before throwing him a pair. "You can't always wear shorts."_  
 _"You don't like my legs, di Angelo?"_  
 _His face reddened. "It's not about that! It might be cold wherever we go, and...and bug bites and thorns a-and poisonous demon blood...jeans are one of the best pieces of armor a demigod can have."_  
 _Will continued to look at him. Unimpressed._  
 _Nico turned a darker shade of red. Really?!_  
 _"Your...Your legs are fine!"_  
 _The son of Apollo clicked his tongue and stomped into a changing cubicle. "'Fine.'" He scoffed. "You're lucky you're dating me, and not a girl."_  
 _Nico grumbled. "You ARE a girl."_  
 _"What?"_  
 _Nico blinked. "What?"_  
 _The door smacked behind him, but he didn't lock it._  
 _There was no one around in this section of the building and Will protested he didn't like using the changing cubicles but Nico pointed out that the staff wouldn't appreciate him changing mid-store even if there were no customers in._  
 _He could hear him humming as he changed. An ancient Greek hymn, he claimed. Nico knew better._  
 _"Okay. How do I look?" Will exited, showing off his outfit._  
 _Nico glanced at him, then did a double take._  
 _He looked...older._  
 _Hot._  
 _Kind of like his father, but not really._  
 _He wasn't wearing his flip-flops, nor his baggy shorts, or that huge camp T-shirt anymore._  
 _Instead, he had on practical, yet cute little yellow work boots with orange laces, blue jeans that fit snugly around his hips and thighs, and a black shirt that looked soft and flexible, that accentuated the muscles in his chest._  
 _Nico was working on closing his mouth when Will topped the outoutfit by slipping on a red flannel long-sleeved shirt, and a floppy blue sunhat._  
 _"Perfect."_  
 _He rolled up his sleeves and tipped his hat at Nico._  
 _"Well?"_  
 _Nico stammered over his words. "You look, great!"_  
 _Will brightened._  
 _He really was a sucker for praise._  
 _"Minus the hat. And, I guess you can work the flannel."_  
 _"Yessss!" The son of Apollo popped some sunglasses on his face. "Like the boys Leo likes so much."_  
 _"They're lame."_  
 _"Quiet, unbeliever. It's your turn. Maybe we can look at those colorful, floral, Hawaiian shirts-_  
 _"Shut your mouth hole."_

The pain in his chest eased a little when he remembered.

Those golden memories that had kept him warm while he was dead and left him tethered to his body, a string of woven gold connecting his soul back to Will, that-

Wait.

Wait.

Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait...

WAIT!

Supplies? Weapons? Ambrosia? Clothes?

Nico NEVER gone shopping with Will Solace.


	30. Freaking son of Hade--oh

**The Book Fiend: Yay! And...did you just call me a tiger? xD**

 **JercyOrSolangelo: Hiiiiiiiiii Niiiico I am so sorry for all I have done thank you for resurrecting this beautiful soul, (by the way, MORE JERCY!) *cackle* and, who wouldn't like these beautiful boys? *_* 3**

 **Kenny FableHaven: I'm always confused and hungry! Welcome to the Percy club! (The confused and hungry)**

 **I KNOW I PUT SON OF HERMES I'M SORRYYYY I'VE NO EXCUSE**

 **And again, Margo Mcknew: I've missed you so much! Your reviews are fantastical and I'm glad you still like this little story.**

 **Good News! Nico doesn't die...haha...don't kill me...**

 **READ!**

* * *

 _Nico couldn't find Will._

 _It irritated him and...well, SCARED him more than he could comprehend._

 _If he couldn't find his boyfriend in a moderately small place, like Camp Half-Blood, how was he supposed to keep track of him when they went traveling round the world?_

 _Yes. It was official now._

 _They had told Chiron and they argued a bit because the centaur didn't think it was a good idea. And when Nico had asked why, he'd just shifted nervously on his hooves and said that he didn't quite know. He just had 'a feeling'. Nico had promptly stated that he was just warning him, not asking for permission._

 _But Will had smacked him and Nico conceded that it might have been a bit out of line._

 _The centaur had looked at Nico a bit wearily, then he'd rubbed at his face, muttered something incomprehensible and then wished them well._

 _The son of Apollo had been delighted._

 _Nico had been wary._

 _But then they'd gone to the Apollo cabin with their news, and by the way they reacted, you would have thought Nico and Will were going to elope or something._

 _"Ohmygods! For how long?" A girl Nico vaguely recognized as Kayla squealed._

 _"I don't know. Not too long." Will had replied._

 _Nico was content to blend into the shadows a bit and let Will talk to his siblings but he was abruptly yanked away from his comfortable corner._

 _"You better be careful, di Angelo." It was a short, thin serious girl with frizzy black hair and crooked purple glasses._

 _Nico hadn't seen her before._

 _But then again, he wasn't one to pay special attention to random people._

 _Nico had reassured the overprotective girl that Will would be fine with him, careful not to let his own doubts seep through._

 _The Apollo kids had wished them well, as excited as Will was himself._

 _But now Nico couldn't find him because he wasn't where he said he'd be._

 _Idiot._

 _He headed back to his cabin, muttering about how useful it would be to just press a number and hear Will's voice coming from a tiny device telling him where he was._

 _He reached his cabin._

 _Or maybe just put a tracker on the other boy._

 _He frowned._

 _Okay._  
 _That was a bit stalker-ish._

 _Whatever._

 _The door was open._

 _Only one person would so blatantly enter his cabin without his permission._

 _Nico sighed. "William freaking Solace," he stepped through, kicking the door closed behind him. "What did I tell you? You can't just say, 'Yes, I'll meet you at the firewall' and then NOT be at the firewall, I mean-_

 _His eyes adjusted to the light and the words froze in his mouth._

 _"There you are! I was wondering when you'd come around. Perfect timing, by the way; I just finished."_

 _Will Solace was sitting on the floor of his cabin, curtains drawn and illuminated only by flickering candles._

 _"Oh, and sorry about the firewall. Made you walk across Camp, didn't I? I just needed to get you out of the Cabin for a bit."_

 _Nico's eyes were still adjusting when the cloying scent of vanilla candles and paint reached his nose._

 _Wait...paint?_

 _"Will! You can't-_

 _His boyfriend jumped to his feet, and Nico noticed that he was wearing nothing but his underwear and a tank-top._

 _"I can, and I did! Behold!" He waved his paintbrush exuberantly at the wall he had been crouching next to._

 _Nico vaguely registered the wooden chair leaning against the opposite wall, and the white sheet on the floor speckled with paint and the palettes and cans and tubes of paint scattered all around and the almost impossible variety of styles and sizes of paintbrushes._

 _He noticed in some other corner of his mind that Will's toes and fingers were stained with multicolored paint and that the candles were far enough as to not melt the paint, but close enough so that they illuminated it brilliantly, and Will himself was looking over at him expectantly._

 _He processed all of this unconsciously because his attention was mainly focused on the actual PAINTING that the son of Apollo had created._

 _And perhaps it was the noxious fumes of paint but Nico suddenly had to sit down._

 _It was... beautiful._

 _Staggeringly beautiful._

 _"Nico?"_

 _There was red the color of heartache and childhood and green the faded, yet vibrant color of past joyful summers and pink the color of innocent vulnerability and blue the sad, yet exuberant color of a sky left behind and an ocean found and orange. An unfamiliar alien orange that made tears well up in his eyes._

 _It was Venice._

 _Crowded little wooden floating houses in all stages of happy decay and vibrant color. Like old tropical birds bobbing along as gondolas swept by and the smell of spices colored the air._

 _And yet there was that sort of stillness and silence, not the lapping of river water nor the yelling of vendors, but just the houses and the colors and the sky, snapshotted in one Thoughtful second by Will Solace._

 _Said man approached him slowly, settling down next to him. "Are you... okay?"_

 _He'd only lived in Venice for a couple of years. Not for long, really. But it was home. It had been his home for so long._

 _Whenever he was lonely and he missed the feeling of his mother's arms and the sound of Bianca's voice, he'd come here._

 _In his mind, he would come here._

 _Not in the more wealthy side of Venice, but here. In the drooping old colorful houses that leaned in to the canal as if to whisper a joyful secret._

 _Will touched his arm and Nico was forced back to the present, but this time it didn't hurt. It didn't jolt his heart. In fact, it warmed him._

 _Like when stepping out of the tub after a hot bath and feeling the soles of your feet against the cold tile and the harsh unforgiving air pressing against you intrusively and stealing the breath from your lungs._

 _No. This was more like stepping out of the bathtub and into a warm fuzzy towel in the arms of his lover._

 _His boyfriend was looking at him, concerned._

 _Nico said nothing. He reached forwards and buried his face in Will's shoulder._

 _He smelled like vanilla and lemons and Will._

 _Nico squeezed him tightly._

 _Will's ribs creaked and he gave a gasp, and then a little laugh._

 _"So...you do like it?"_

 _His arms fell around Nico's shoulders gently. Fingertips brushed at his spine and shoulder blades._

 _He could feel his smile in those fingertips._

 _"Mhm...Dad's sgoin' to be mahd."_

 _A chuckle. "Nah. Your father likes me."_

 _He said it jokingly but Nico found himself replying without thinking._

 _"He does, like you."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"It's why you're not dead yet."_

 _The son of Apollo laughed and Nico released him, drawing back to look at his boyfriend._

 _"I love it."_

 _Will brushed at the upside of Nico's eyelashes, and a single tear was captured between his fingers._

 _He looked at it, then back at Nico. "I love you."_

 _"I know." Nico whispered._

 _Then the blonde squeezed Nico's side and Nico jumped straight up and yelped._

 _He fell on his back against his bed, scrambling away from his boyfriend._

 _"No! You idiotic little dork don't you touch me-_

 _He slipped into garbled Italian as his evil boyfriend continued his assault on his sides._

 _"Whoa, haha- I am so glad I don't understand Italian right now."_

 _How dare he?!_

 _One second Nico's heart was melting out of his eyes because Will was just the most perfect boyfriend ever and then he decided that he would like to make Nico cry, laugh, and pee at the same time._

 _Why? I mean-_

 _Nico was abruptly yanked out of his thoughts when his body decided to betray him as more laughter bubbled out of his mouth._

 _He spider-walked backwards, over his pillow, and almost out of Will's reach when he was suddenly dragged forwards, dropping onto his ass._

 _Will had grabbed the back of his knees and pulled him forwards, legs spreading around him._

 _"Oh!"_

 _His black T-shirt hiked up over his stomach and he grumbled more curses._

 _"Stupido idiota-_

 _And then..._  
 _His breath rushed out in a single, strangled yell._

 _"WILL!"_

 _Will froze, his lips inches above Nico's stomach. Blue eyes wide and... shocked._

 _Nico panted quietly...swallowing against the loudness of his shriek._

 _Blood rushed up his neck and His face and ears grew hot._

 _Will stared at him for a second, then his face broke into a smile._

 _Then a giggle._

 _He laughed hysterically._

 _Nico was spurned into action._

 _He pulled down his shirt, flustered. His skin tingled with the remnants of Will's lips._

 _A raspberry._

 _He'd blown a raspberry into Nico's stomach._

 _"Stop laughing."_

 _He continued laughing._

 _"Stop it!"_

 _Nico knew what he was laughing at._

 _And it was unbearably embarrassing._

 _The son of Apollo was still sitting on top of him, laughing so hard he gripped his stomach like his guts might explode._

 _His face was glowing and delighted._

 _Nico couldn't really appreciate this sight because he was still burning with mortification._

 _Will gasped for breath, eyes shining. "Ha! Weee! Hahaha, Weeeeeeeee!"_

 _Nico sputtered, feeling like he might melt into the pillows if Will continued to mimic him._

 _"Weeeeeeeeeeeeellll!"_

 _Nico cried out irritably and smothered Will's face with the pillow._

 _"Hahaha, ow, haha..."_

 _In Nico's moment of great distress, he'd slipped into Italian. No big deal. He always did that. Either to curse, or translate, or just because he felt like it. It had always been easy to transition back to English._

 _Of course, in the beginning he'd had some trouble with pronouncing different words, just like all bilingual speakers. His accent tended to jump into the wrong language._

 _But not anymore! With some practice he'd managed to keep his accent under control; mainly to not look like more of an outsider than he already was._

 _But he had just been SO shocked when Will's lips had traveled down to meet his sensitive skin, and then when he'd made that horrid SOUND and then that FEELING, that...well, "Will,"_

 _Came out as, "Weeeeel!"_

 _But whatever._

 _It was a common mistake!_

 _A normal slip-up._

 _There was absolutely NO reason why Will should be laughing this much about it._

 _"Will! Stop. Laughing. At. Me!"_

 _The blonde covered his face with his hands, giggling. "I'm sorry, baby. I c-can't."_

 _Nico growled with exasperation and his boyfriend only threw himself at Nico's middle in response._

 _Nico fell back and an involuntary laugh escaped him, all the embarrassment and mortification rushing out of him as Will peppered his neck with kisses._

 _"Will...oh, stop-p." He giggled._

 _Will complied with one more gentle kiss on his Adam's apple and grinned, looking over him. "Weeel?"_

 _"WILL."_

 _"That was so cute." He nuzzled him, like an affectionate puppy._

 _"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Nico pushed his face away halfheartedly._

 _But then the blonde dropped onto him._

 _"Oof!"_

 _"Ow."_

 _"You are still much too thin, Nico di Angelo."_

 _"It was supposed to protect me from you, Will Solace."_

 _"You know you love it." He shifted slightly above him._

 _"Yeah, but YOU shouldn't."_

 _Will considered, blue eyes focusing on Nico's own. "Of course I will. It'll just take a bit of shifting."_

 _"And crushing me." Nico complained._

 _This should've weirded Nico out._

 _Will Solace, an almost completely grown teenage boy struggling to find out how to best use Nico as a live mattress._

 _But lately, he'd grown accustomed to Will getting his way, no matter how strange it seemed to Nico._

 _"Let's make a swing behind your cabin."_  
 _"No. Why?"_  
 _"Because!"_

 _Or,_

 _"You know what Nico? We should turn your bathtub into a bed for tonight."_  
 _"What? No. Why?"_  
 _"Because."_

 _And,_

 _"You know what we should do?"_  
 _"Gods, no."_  
 _"We should get our hair cut!"_  
 _"Why?! My hair is perfectly fine."_  
 _"Just the ends. Come on. The new Aphrodite kids would love it. I heard we got like, seven new recruits and they all more or less like messing with hair and make-up and stuff. But last time I went, they almost broke my arm because I didn't like a shade of lipstick. So we better be careful."_

 _Nico would just sigh and go along, since he trusted Will not to suggest something completely dangerous and insane._

 _Unlike some of his other friends._

 _(not that getting his haircut wasn't dangerous, because it was. For whomever was holding the scissors and for Nico. Mostly for whomever was holding the scissors)_

 _"There we go!" Will grinned and rested his elbows on either side of Nico's head and Nico got a funny feeling looking up at him like that but it quickly faded when the blonde's eyes softened and his smile dropped a little._

 _"Comfortable Nico." He announced._

 _"Dork."_

 _But it was rather comfortable. One of Will's legs was in between Nico's and his other one was resting outside of Nico's left leg so all of his weight wasn't completely on resting on the other boy._

 _But there was enough to warm him and to supply enough pressure to make him sleepy._

 _Like sleeping under an enormous fancy blanket that you know will not move no matter how much you toss and turn during the night._

 _"MEAN Nico."_

 _The dark-haired Italian hummed and found his eyes drawn back to the painting that flickered and danced with the candles. The sun was falling quickly and the colors mellowed out, softening under the orange buds of fire._

 _"Thank you, Will."_

 _A finger trailed up his neck, around his earlobe and across his jaw._

 _He stopped at Nico's lips and the other boy turned to look at him, looking at the pale blue of his eyes._

 _He couldn't ever pinpoint the blue in those eyes._

 _It wasn't exactly the blue of the sky, like Jason. Nor the blue of the ocean or anything he'd ever seen before._

 _He wasn't one for poetry, but he guessed that it had to be a mix between the blue of a robin's egg and that little piece of sky that may or may not be found between the giant clouds in the sky._

 _"I just wanted you to know...that I won't forget home. No matter how far we go." He tapped Nico's bottom lip, smiling slightly. "And then maybe later, like we talked about, we can make our own."_

 _Nico smiled up at him. "Our own home. Yes."_

 _His heart jumped and skipped and danced and did all the things Nico felt like doing._

 _He'd thought about all the things people would say. He always did. He thought of Will's friends. His siblings. Occasionally, his father. And more so, his mother._

 _And maybe they were too young or whatever._

 _And usually Nico would have tried to slow things down. To keep on reinforcing those walls around his heart that had protected him for so long._

 _But Will wouldn't hurt him._

 _He knew that._

 _So why was he always on edge?_

 _Why did he feel like he had a deadline?_

 _Why-_

 _Oh._

 _Oh, that felt nice._

 _Will was mouthing at his neck and Nico decided he would just close his eyes for a bit._

 _Tomorrow they would go._

 _And Will would see things that he'd never seen before._

* * *

"Stay with me, Nico." Jason was looking at him again. Very close to his face.

Why did he feel the need to get so close?

To establish control? Intimidate him?

Nico shook his head, pushing him away gently but firmly.

"I'm here." His voice was small.

But he wasn't.

That painting in his cabin...it wasn't there.

He could see it, clearly in his mind. The colors, the brushstrokes, and of course, Will.

Will standing proudly by his painting and looking at Nico so hopefully, and Nico could feel what he had felt, that surge of surprise and love and the knowledge that this painting, just like every kiss and look, was proof of his love.

He swallowed thickly.

Taste of blood and tears in his mouth.

"Where's the painting?"

"What'd he say?"  
"I don't know."  
"Maybe he's not all there, you know."  
"Leo, shut up."

There was no paint on his wall. Not the black kind someone would have used to cover up other paint. Nor was there any scratching that might reveal that someone had forcibly removed it.

And why would someone, or something, want to remove a painting-

"Nico, come on." Jason was in his face again.

Nico pushed him back for the second time, hand on his chest, but then he found himself suddenly holding on to his shirt.

His head was swimming.

"...you okay?"

Nico exhaled and made himself let go.

The pain was back in his chest.

He was ignoring it the way one might ignore a dagger sticking out of your stomach, like a plug holding in all his guts from falling out.

"Move it, son of Zeus, he needs his bandages changed."

The boy was back, dabbing a cloth in rubbing alcohol and looking expectantly at Jason.

The blonde drew back, hesitantly.

Hazel was looking down at Nico's lap, then glancing away, her lips a thin line.

Nico's bandages had bled through.

"No...wait, where's Will?"

Jason glanced back up at him. "Percy went to get him, remember?"

That had been hours ago.

No, well, minutes.

Still, too long.

Much too long.

Will should have been here.

He could see him, checking the machines, adjusting the IV drip, sending him concerned, but reassuring smiles. His hands would have been shaking, but not after he placed them on Nico. No after that, they would be deft and careful. Tying and applying his bandages, checking his stitches, smearing little dollops of medicinal cream on his scars, and tipping a cup into his lips, a finger under his chin like a reassurance.

He'd be scolding him, but not enough to make him feel bad just enough to make him know he was worried.

"Stop picking at your bandages," he would say. And, "You need rest, Nico. Stop trying to move.

Everything will be okay.

How do you feel?

Yes, I know it hurts but you need to be still.

You'll be fine.

Look at me, how many fingers am I holding up?

Very good. Now, on a scale from one to ten, how do you...Nico, this is not a joke. Mr. Di Angelo! I demand you take me seriously.

Shhhh...okay. Where does it hurt?

I'm going to take care of you.

Remember, everything is going to be okay.

Yeah, that's it.

Smile for me.

Smile!

Smile for me, Nico.

Ow! Did you just throw...an apple? You threw an apple at me. Oh, I get it. An apple a day...

I am TOO a doctor.

You don't trust me?

Haha, I KNOW you trust me.

Smile.

Smile, Nico...there!

There we go! That's my favorite Di Angelo smile!

Oh. Oh, I know. Baby, I know. Don't move.

Hey! Over here!

No, not ambrosia...yes. Unicorn draught.

Good. Good. Just breathe.

You're doing great.

Don't worry, I'm not going.

I'm not leaving you.

Breathe.

And remember,

I love you.

"You. Sam, right? Where's Will? Do you know where he is? Is he okay?"

The boy did a double take. "Is _he_ okay? Maybe you should worry about yourself for a bit. Let me change your bandages. The bleeding should have stopped by now."

Nico sighed. This kid had a mouth to him. "No..." He tried to take the bite from his words. "Find Will. Bring him."

The kid ducked his head, he was pulling white latex gloves over his hands.

Will rarely used gloves.

Said the healing came straight from his skin, that he needed direct contact. But when he did use gloves, they were never white. Always green, blue, or yellow.

"He'll...he'll come. But I need to change your bandages now."

The pain was getting worse.

Nico wanted to pull the dagger out. If he pulled it out, the pain would end. He knew. But...would he die too?

"No. NO. Get...Will. He should be here. He WOULD be here unless something was wrong and YOU PEOPLE won't tell me where he is!"

The boy, Sam, son of Hermes stumbled back.

He was scared.

Nico had scared him.

He didn't mean to, but he had, and he couldn't think, couldn't stop because he was scared.

Nico di Angelo was scared.

He was no stranger to fear.

In fact, one could say they were friends. Fear kept him alive, ready and STRONG. But only as long as he could harness it. Only as long as he could control it and turn it into a weapon as deadly as his Stygian Iron Sword.

But this fear...

He couldn't control it.

It was raw and powerful and all consuming. He was scared not for his life but for Will.

He was scared for Will.

"Nico, calm down. You're not making any sense." Annabeth was talking.

Calypso was staring at him, wordlessly.

Leo was nervous, fidgeting. A crease between his brows.

Piper was gripping Jason's hand. Their knuckles were tight.

And Percy was looking for Nico's boyfriend.

But he wasn't here.

"Sense." He muttered. "Doesn't make any sense." Where was Will?

He swung his legs off the bed, avoiding looking at the red scar on his ankle. He yanked the first needle he could find off his body, his feet touched the floor.

"Wait, no. You need to stay in bed! You can't move!" Sam looked around helplessly but no one seemed to know what to do anymore than he did.

The pain almost made him black out.

He gasped. "But Will-

"Nico, calm down." Jason was in front of him now, the boy Sam stepping aside. "Your boyfriend will be here...you shouldn't exert yourself. Lie back down."

Nico's knees buckled.

Jason caught him.

Nico saw stars. "O-o-ohh! Ow...no...l-let go."

Dammit it hurt.

He would have preferred falling to the floor Jason's grip hurt so much. But he decided the floor would've been a lot less gentle than Jason was being.

Jason's hand was gripping the back of his...upper thigh and Nico decided he didn't want his friend's hand so close to his...private area anymore.

Why did these things always happen to him?

"Sorry." Jason huffed, and his arm slid lower and...shit. "Guess you're not that injured back here."

Nico reddened. "No." He agreed.

Jason set him down gently on his cot, an arm at his back and the other one, well...on his _ass_ and Nico let him.

He sighed and draped his arm across his eyes, refusing to see the sparkling grin on the other boy's face. But the pain in his chest lessened.

Most of his bandages were bloodied through now, and before Sam could start unwrapping them, without looking, Nico caught his wrist.

"Just...get Will."

"But..."

"Get Will."

"I'm sorry, I have to-

"WILL."

"Nico, what's wrong?" Hazel's voice.

"Why don't you let him-

Nico felt white hot anger, returning just as quickly as it had come, chasing away the embarrassed amusement and that weariness he'd felt just seconds ago. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LISTEN FOR ONE GODSDAMNED SECOND AND GIVE ME WHAT I WANT FOR ONCE IN MY FUCKING MISERABLE LIF-

"Nico di Angelo, watch your mouth."

* * *

"What's wrong with him?"

"Uhm...Lord Hades, ahem...he has already done that we think TWICE now. He's spacing out."

"'Spacing...out'?"

"Yeah, like, he's not all there right now. He's somewhere else."

The lord Hades considered the Latino's words.

"Jason usually manages to wake him up after a bit."

The boy, son of Hephaestus, waved a hand in front of Nico's face.

His boy didn't flinch.

His daughter sighed and helped her brother on his back, his eyes open and unseeing. If not for the rise and fall of his chest, Hades might have thought he was dead.

Yes, the god of death couldn't sense whether his only son was dead or alive.

Amusing.

* * *

The God of the Underworld sat in a blue plastic chair and stared at the Hyacinths by the windows.

He understood their significance and wondered if the children of Apollo did, and if so, why they would decorate the place with them.

Then the Jackson boy came and promptly stepped on his robe.

The tortured souls screamed in even more agony and perhaps in what Hades perceived to be glee.

It'd been a long time since anyone had stepped on their faces and Hades guessed they welcomed the distraction from eternal damnation.

The Jackson boy stumbled. He cursed. "Son of freaking Hade-

"Percy! There you are!" The blonde, Annabeth called out, masking the rest of that word.

Hades sighed.

If it wasn't for that daughter of Athena, the blundering idiot would have been long dead.

"Huh? Oh! OH! Hey, Hades...you're here. That's good! And I stepped on your...oh. Sorry, guys. I didn't see you there, on the floor...here, lemme get that-

The boy brushed at the end of Hade's robe.

The god sighed in annoyance. "You won't touch me unless you want to become the latest addition to my fashion statement."

Instead of cowering in fear, that son of Poseidon _brightened_ and his mouth curved into a smile.

"Haha! I can see the family resemblance! What's that saying? Like father like son. It's funny because-

Hades was measuring the wrath of Poseidon, his son, and all the other gods who liked the Jackson boy if he DID decide to sow his soul in...maybe his underwear.

"Percy!" Jason Grace hissed at the other boy. "Shut up for once!"

He yanked the boy towards him, but he didn't count on the other boy being so unbalanced because he crashed against the blonde's front.

The son of Zeus groaned in pain.

"That's what you get for being so damned violent." The Jackson boy stated matter-of factly. "Anyways, as I was saying-

A hand clamped over his mouth, surprising him into silence.

The girlfriend laughed. "I might ask Jason to move in."

The other girl snickered and jostled her while the Jackson boy gave a muffled protest.

Hades stifled a sigh.

It was a dreary thing to be among mortals, but right now he vastly preferred it to the company of gods.

There would be hell to pay once the gods found out what he'd done.

He smiled.

'Hell to pay.'

He was already in hell. What more could they do to him? Right now he would focus on his son.

And well, his little friends too.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Annabeth." The girl, Piper, said. "You know, cause they're already _randomly_ kissing each other."

The sons of his brother's stilled.

"You're right." The blonde returned. "They might be too weak to resist ravaging each other." Her tone was dryly amused.

"Who says they haven't already?"

The boys jumped away from each other.

"What! Pipes?"

"Annie! I thought we talked about this!"

"It's not like that!"

"I mean, come on. This is JASON we're talking about."

"Yeah! Wait...Excuse me?"

This was a little too much like watching a telenovela. A soap opera. Not that Hades watched those.

Hazel Levesque was leaning over her brother and studying the machines anxiously. The poor girl probably had no idea what they were for.

The Asian boyfriend looked caught between staring at Hades warily, or staring at the rest of their friends in confusion.

"Whoa...Time out. Did you just say JASON and PERCY were 'kissing each others?!" That was Valdez.

The girls were ignoring him.

Hades tuned in, albeit a bit curiously.

"Nah, I don't think Jason would mind bottoming. He's completely nuts for Percy."

"But that's the thing. Percy wouldn't want him to bottom."

"Oh! Are you saying-?"

"Totally."

Hades suddenly found the room a bit too hot for his liking.

The demigods were completely ignoring him. Arrogant fools. Just because sure, they saved the world or whatever, and yes, they'd fought side by side didn't mean that they had the right to-

"What do you mean by THAT, Jackson?"

The boy shrugged. "Uh...nothing? You're just not my type."

"I'm not your-

I AM _exactly_ your type!" His voice cracked loudly with some alien emotion.

There was a sudden, vicious, silence.

Hades could hear Cupid cackling away somewhere.

The son of Zeus slowly turned red. "I...no, that's not what...I...I meant..."

"Guys!" My daughter saved him from his embarrassment. "He's bleeding again."

She didn't need to specify who she was talking about.

Hades stood. To do what he had no idea but a second later a little boy rushed past him.

"You the parent/guardian?" He asked without looking at Hades. He sighed as he studied Nico critically. "I assure you I am perfectly capable of attending to your son. Sam, son of Hermes blessed by Apollo, nice to meet you, now let me do my work."

Hades frowned and he thought he heard Valdez snicker.

"Hey, Sammy?"

Hazel looked around at Leo, disturbed for a second and Frank blinked down at her.

"Don't call me 'Sammy'."

"Alright, Sammy...that right there is THE parent guardian."

"I said, Don't call me-" The boy swiveled around holding a roll of tape, when he froze, eyebrows rising mouth forming a little "O" and he dropped the roll of tape.  
Hades sighed.

Perhaps he should have changed before coming here.

But he'd been in a bit of a hurry.

And he was tired.

Tired like Atlas must feel like having to hold on to the sky for so long.

But not exactly.

Hades was tired...tired like only a father can be.

So, so tired.

He'd been carrying this burden for so long and he ached to put it down. And yet, he wished he could carry it forever, because he knew that once he put it down, it would fall on his children. And even then the weight would never get any lighter because sharing such a burden with your child would never make it lighter it would make it heavier and he didn't know how to keep that weight from crushing him.

It was telling a child that their dog was dead and no, he's not coming back, and no it wasn't in heaven it was dead. And then later explaining that her mom was dead and daddy you said there was no heaven and where is she? And where is she daddy?

Now explain to her why her skin was black and why it mattered and maybe later why it shouldn't matter but not now because the boy down the street didn't like her and neither did the girls at school nor the teachers nor the neighborhood and sometimes not even society and no, little girl, not the whole world because I'm here, but you're not enough because the weight is crushing you even more than it's crushing her.

And then when you have to go because the weight has crushed you down, down below the Earth with the other crushed souls because your little girl dreamed but fell, pulling the ceiling down with her.

But maybe not because you took up that burden again and you held it, exhaustedly but happily as you watched your little boy grow up and then suddenly it stopped because war, and he grew up anyways, carrying that heavy burden but running nonetheless. Running far and wide and never getting anywhere while you sit there crushed and watch him take that burden all on his own and he thinks, maybe, that he'll set it down, like his sister did, despite the fact that, daddy, no. You're just being silly, I'm okay and watch me I'm going to find a boyfriend that loves me just as much as mom loves you. And then he comes back crying and you leave him the burden because you know you must and then you flee because you can't breathe and his mother will always be stronger than you.

But he tries again, blessed child, child of light stuck in darkness an angel of death and this time maybe he wins. Maybe he lets that burden go and he's brave enough to do something his father was never brave enough to do and he stays. He stays and stays and he falls in love with a tiny ray of sunshine, finds his piece of heaven amongst all the hell. And he survives. In all of humanity he survives! And his little boy is okay and his little girl is too and maybe he can be okay too, despite the burden and maybe it can finally disappear!

Until something happened.

And now he was tired again.

So, so _tired_... like only a father can be.

* * *

 ***COUGH* rEVIEW! *COUGH* -BTW, still accepting requests. Send me your brightest dreams and darkest fantasies and I will do my best to smuggle it in so that this beautiful fanfiction can belong to all of you as well!**

 ***COUGH, COUGH, *hack* COUGH***

 **HaIrBalL.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Number 1, IMPORTANT**

 **Do you guys mind the spacing or should I just keep writing this as before?**

 **Things get a little bit, *bwhahaha* cuz they're teenage boys and duh, but NOTHING HAPPENS because they are still little babies, (not really just underage) and because this IS rated T. Or K. I can't remember, but it's not M. It's fluff with a capital F. xD bwhahahaha**

...

* * *

"O-o-okay. I should probably just change his bandages while he's asleep."

Annabeth nodded at Sam, since everyone seemed preoccupied with something else.  
Hazel was talking anxiously with her father, and the god of the Underworld actually looked nervous.  
Frank was standing a little ways away, almost as anxious as Hades himself.  
Calypso looked lost in thought, her eyes closed and her lips whispering unintelligibly.  
Leo was kicking the wall in frustration. For what reason, Annabeth didn't know.  
Percy and Jason were still arguing, which was good. The son of Zeus was keeping her boyfriend occupied and away from Hades. She didn't know if he did this intentionally, but she suspected it was. She appreciated it. Percy didn't have what you would call a good track record with the god.  
Piper was still sitting next to her, looking at Jason thoughtfully.  
The Hermes boy expertly cut through the bandages at Nico's thigh with medical scissors.  
Just then, the closed infirmary doors opened.  
Annabeth turned in dread.  
They only would have opened them if it was an emergency.  
She prepared herself to see another demigod with their arms detached or a kid with a fork stuck up his nose.  
She knew there wouldn't be another case like Nico's. His situation was unique.  
And she sensed, as much as she hated it, that this was not going to end well for the son of Hades.  
And the absence of Will Solace was making her antsy.  
She suspected that Hades had something to do with this whole mess. He wasn't just a concerned parent dropping in to see how his son was doing. Somehow, he was involved in this.  
Annabeth was _itching_ to interrogate him, but Hazel looked as if she had it covered.  
It'd been a heavy blow to her, almost losing her brother.  
It would have been hard on anyone, but Hazel had already lost so much.  
They all had.  
She thought of Will.  
This would crush the poor boy. She saw how he looked at Nico, his eyes lit up and he practically jumped with happiness.  
Nico would give him so much as a smile and Will looked as if he were already in Elysium.  
Annabeth knew that feeling.  
That irresistible urge to smile no matter what kind of day you were having as soon as you laid eyes on him.

It was love.  
Pure and simple.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the angry praetor until it was too late.  
The purple cloak swirled indignantly around her feet as she came to a stop beside Nico's bed.  
She studied him critically.  
Sam gave a startled squeak and backed away.  
Annabeth wet her lips. "Reyna-  
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" She whirled around. "Pluto! What did this to him?!"  
Hazel slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle a sob.  
That anger on her face, like she wanted to KILL someone.  
Even Hades didn't bristle at her lack of respect. He just closed his eyes. Looking...infinitely tired.  
Annabeth definitely had a bad feeling.  
"Reyna..." The daughter of Bellona turned to her, the rage in her eyes receding to patient hate. "We...we don't know how...or why this happened to Nico. He...he's been having nightmares."  
Sam swallowed thickly and muttered something to the sleeping Nico that sounded like, 'If you don't get better, the world might end. Get up, Di Angelo.' He cleared his throat. "Alright. Give me some space." He glanced at Reyna. "Please."  
Reyna moved to the other side of the bed, her hands gripping the little rails on the sides. She peered intently as the son of Hermes cut through the rest of the bandage.  
"Explain." She demanded.  
Her hair was braided to the side and sweat stuck a few rebellious strands to her forehead. Annabeth assumed she got here by Pegasus.  
Jason cleared his throat. "Nico...he's been having nightmares, like Annabeth said."  
Percy was fiddling with something in his hand, avoiding meeting the Roman's gaze.  
"Even before him and Will got together...he'd been having trouble sleeping."  
Percy picked up where he'd left off, tightening his fist around the mysterious object. "Yeah. But it was only after that he got crazy nightmares almost every night. Me and Annabeth...well, we've had nightmares too. But, Nico's were different."  
Leo nodded, picking at his lip with his thumb and forefinger. "It was almost like he was walking in his sleep but with his eyes wide open. He stabbed me once." The Latino placed his hand on his lower stomach. "He'd been dreaming about a monster."  
Calypso pulled him down to sit next to her and shot him a reassuring smile.  
He grinned back.  
Reyna's eyes shot to Frank while Sam slowly peeled back the bloody cloth.  
"Why didn't he tell me?" She didn't sound whiny or defeated. Instead, there was a note of steel in her voice.  
Percy answered. "He didn't want to worry ev-  
He froze.  
Reyna stiffened.  
Sam gave a little gasp and Jason suddenly stumbled away, which struck Annabeth as strange, until she realized that he was now hugging Hazel to his chest, which surprised the younger girl.  
When Annabeth focused on what the bandages had uncovered, she knew why.  
She choked on a cry.  
A cry of both horror, and revulsion and...fear.

* * *

"I think it's good you two are taking some time away."

The doubt inside Nico yawned and turned towards Jason hungrily. It made him feel rather desperate.  
"You do?"  
Jason nodded, nudging his knee. "Yeah. You two never go out because you're so busy training, the infirmary, or helping Chiron out with the activities. It'll be nice to get to know each other better outside of Camp."  
Nico nudged Jason back but his giant leg barely even moved.  
The son of Zeus grinned nonetheless.  
Normal friendly communication.  
Not always verbal, but sometimes physical too. Nico used to avoid that sort, (mostly because he'd never had any friends) but he could see now how important it was to everyone else. And he had to admit it was rather nice. Touching someone's arm for attention instead of silently standing back until you were noticed and then watching the shock on their face as they jumped and finally let him speak his mind.  
Jason was talking again. "...like going out to the movies, going out to eat, theme parks, and sometimes just walking around spending money. It's good."  
Nico dropped his face into his hands. "Jason Grace, you are NOT giving me relationship advice."  
A laugh. Low and happy.  
"Don't think I didn't see how fast you ran out of your cabin."  
Nico rolled his eyes but that annoying heat in his cheeks told him Jason wasn't fooled. He glanced back at his own cabin where Will was still inside, getting ready for their trip.  
It hadn't been a run, more like a fast walk and a little stumble.  
Nico had awoken to find that for once, Will wasn't poking at him and then giving him some lame excuse for having poked him to consciousness. 'Sorry. I was just making sure you were still you and not some angel who came to take you away.'  
'Fuck you, Solace.'  
But today, Nico had opened his eyes to see Will's slightly parted lips and his quivering eyelashes. The early morning sun kissed Will lovingly. His fingers twitched.  
The freckles on his shoulder glowed and his hair responded by glowing even brighter.  
Nico wasn't ashamed to admit that he admired his boyfriend for a second there, marveling that this magnificent boy was actually here, and not going anywhere anytime soon.  
A pretty smile bloomed on his face and his hands suddenly darted out and awkwardly pulled him closer.  
"Will." Nico complained, as his face was smushed against Will's chest.  
He had already woken up and now he was being annoying on purpose.  
"Shh...it's okay, Nico."  
Ugh. "No it's not. Lemme go. We can't stay in bed today, remember?"  
Will gave a content sigh, ignoring Nico completely.  
"No, baby...stay...here."  
Nico rolled his eyes. Why was he talking in that weird way? Like he was...asleep!  
He wasn't even conscious right now!  
"Really Solace?! You're not even awake!"  
That caused a wave of grumbling to come from the boy, pushing up against him and draping his arm around him, pulling Nico closer.  
Nico sighed, (in annoyance, of course) and decided he could let his boyfriend sleep a little while longer.  
He rested his cheek just below Will's collar bone and looked at the freckles on his chest, feeling his slow, loud heartbeat. Steady.  
His breathing was steady too, quiet and slow, so...peaceful.  
He felt himself being lulled back to sleep and he reveled in that, the complete calm and warmth coursing through his body.  
Will's arm was resting on the small of Nico's back, muscles relaxed.  
Nico brought his arm down too, to copy his position.  
The little blond hairs on Will's body stood up as Nico trailed his hand over them. A thrill shot down his neck and settled somewhere in his stomach.  
"Angelo." His boyfriend murmured.  
Nico could feel the strong muscle beneath his fingers.  
What was it that Piper had said...?  
A surfer's -body.  
Smooth tanned skin with speckles of caramel and thick strong muscles.  
Nico couldn't lie and say he didn't like it.

He liked all of it.

He liked Will's long agile fingers and his warm gentle hands. He liked his muscled legs he clothed in shorts and flip-flops. And his arms, always decorated with little trinkets and crafts that his siblings made for him, bracelets and necklaces and earrings made of paperclips and flowers and beads and little pieces of glass. They never lasted more than a day, but Will wore them lovingly and never threw them away after they broke, even though they were surely going to be replaced by more odd jewelry the next day. He liked his perfect grinning lips, the little bump in his nose, and of course those freckles that he could count for hours, never bothering to remember the number because he liked to start from one. He liked his ears, which Nico liked to play with when his boyfriend wasn't paying attention.  
The son of Hades slid away from his warm boyfriend and his warm bed and padded over across the cold floor to the bathroom.  
When he returned, an unbidden smile curled across his lips.  
"So. That is my replacement, huh?"  
His dork boyfriend had somehow wrapped Nico's pillow in his sheets and was now holding it in the exact same way he had been holding Nico just minutes ago.  
His eyes cracked open. "Neeks."  
Nico rolled his eyes and conceded, crawling into Will's outstretched arms even though he knew he shouldn't.  
He should make him wake up completely so they could go, but there had to be a reason  
Will slept in.  
Maybe he was tired?  
Will groaned softly as Nico settled in next to him. "Mmm...Nico I had the nicest dream...and you smell so nice...and I wish you would tell me where we're going, but..." He laughed a bit. "It's kind of fun not knowing also? Like a surprise."  
Will was talking into Nico's back.  
"Well, you'll find out soon enough. Anyway...how come you aren't up yet? You're usually the one dragging ME out of bed. Do you feel okay? Because-"  
"Shhhh...I just need to make sure...you don't have a fever before..." He yawned.  
And before Nico knew what was going on, Will was up on his knees, then suddenly smothering Nico below him.  
After one shocked second, Nico 'Eeeped!"and squirmed and twisted.  
"Nuh uh." Will huffed, and pressed even harder against him.  
The Italian stilled, hyper-aware of Will's hands under Nico's arms, curled palm-up behind Nico's shoulders. His breath, hot against the side of Nico's neck and his skin tingling pleasantly.  
"Oh. You're so nice like this. Just...wish those hip-bones of yours weren't so painful." He shifted a bit. "Remember the first time we kissed? At Christmas...in my...house," he yawned. "I was surprised by your hip bones then too...so sharp, but somehow...I don't know, attractive too? Sexy."  
Nico's mouth went dry and he froze.  
Sexy.  
Will had never...called him that before.  
His cheeks burned.  
Will slid his hands from underneath him and propped his elbows up on Nico's arms. His eyes were half closed, a sleepy grin on his face.  
He continued on as if he'd heard Nico's thoughts. "Yeah. Sexy. I'll probably not tell you this is in real life, because it makes you uncomfortable. And usually that's really cute, but then you get mad at me..." He yawned. "...and that's not good."  
Real life?  
"But you are. Very sexy." Will lowered his head and kissed along the curve of Nico's neck.  
Nico yelped, ignoring the rather nice feeling of Will's lips on his skin, and squirmed away.  
This was freaking him out.  
He couldn't escape, not that he was trying very hard, but as soon as Nico made to leave, Will usually let him.  
"Hey. If that was the first time we kissed, how come you went on that trip...wait, no...the infirmary, three days rest? Was that before or after...did we...how come..."  
Great. Now he was blubbering nonsense.  
Nico detached himself from the bed and Will finally moved to accommodate him.  
But then- _holy_ -  
That felt _good_.  
Will had moved in a certain way, and well Nico...hey. You couldn't blame him! Not when Will had been saying those things and causing so much friction while he moved his hips and-  
Nico let out a jumble of weak curses and fell back on the bed, throwing an arm over his face as Will blinked once, then twice.  
The sleepy glaze went from his eyes.  
"Nico. Hey. Good," yawn. "Morning. What was I saying? I feel like I was saying something important. Wait...why are you up already? What time is it?"  
Nico squeaked as Will settled down on top of him.  
The son of Apollo looked around for seemingly a clock or an open window but the only light discernable was a pale white and blue creeping along the floorboards.  
"I...I d-drew you a bath."  
Will blinked down at him. A smile spread across his face. "You did? That's so nice!"  
Nico frowned. "You do it for me every morning."  
The blonde crawled off him and Nico breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't noticed his little...problem.  
But then Will's freckled hand was at Nico's waist, to close to his offending organ that it was impossible not to notice it, pulling him close until their lips met.  
"Join me?"  
His eyes were dark and his smile was wide and wicked.

Nico promptly ran.

"And I think you need it too..." Jason was talking. Rubbing his gloved hands together. "Getting away for some time. Even though that IS what you usually do, I mean getting away to someplace NICE with someone NICE. We all need a sort of balance in our lives and I think Will-  
"Do you have sex with Piper?"  
Nico blurted out the words before they got stuck in his throat.  
Jason's words did get stuck in his throat.  
He froze, opened his mouth. Closed it again. Blinked at Nico. Pursed his lips. Adjusted his glasses.  
Nico pulled his jacket tighter around his body.  
He knew Jason saw him as a sort of little brother. The son of Zeus was 18? Seventeen? And Nico was either 14 or 15. He couldn't quite remember. Well technically he was old enough to be Jason's grandfather but whatever.  
Nico refused to be embarrassed of his question, that is, until said son of Zeus began laughing.  
He laughed and, sitting on the steps of the Zeus cabin, the blonde almost fell off.  
"Jason." Nico snapped. Truly, he had not expected this reaction. "Whatever you're thinking about, it's not true."  
Sadly, this last statement sounded a bit wounded and defensive even to Nico's ears. He decided to leave him in his merriment and go on to see Piper, which was next on his list of goodbyes.  
But before he could even gather himself off the cold, stone steps, Jason was calling him back.  
"Wait, Nico! Sorry. Ha-ha." He tugged at Nico's jacket, grinning. And in that second, Nico thought he looked a bit like Percy. It was true that they had been spending some time together, more than usual. But then he bit the grin back and replaced it with a sort of chagrined smile that reminded him more of Jason.  
"You surprised me. Is...is something going on?"  
Nico twisted his skull ring.  
His face was starting to redden, he could feel it.  
Jason didn't really know what he was expecting as an answer, but it was enough to make him cautious. He watched the younger boy attentively.  
"I...no. No, n-nothing happened, but...I don't know what I should do...or-or want, wait...no. I didn't mean-  
Jason smirked. "Look, you really shouldn't be worried about that."  
Nico kicked him, savagely.  
"Ow! Hades! I only meant that Will can...take care of you?" He sounded confused at his own words and seeing Nico's expression, backtracked. "Like, you don't need to worry about that not because you're young or something, because you're definitely not, but because Will knows all about WHEN you should do that...and you'll know when you're ready."  
Nico was trying to coax his mouth open to say something when another voice interjected.  
"Yep. Solace gave a sex ed class like, two years ago and everyone was required to attend. Awkward as hell. But hey, I learned a lot." Percy sat down on the other side of Nico.  
The son of Hades cursed at him in Italian, face reddening. This was none of his business!  
Jason sighed. "Really Percy?"  
"Hehe, your glasses are frosting." The son of Poseidon reached across Nico and plucked them off Jason's face.  
Jason's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. "Why are you not wearing a jacket?"  
"Geez. Are you my mom or something?"  
"It's cold."  
"So?"  
"Even Nico is wearing a jacket."  
Percy rolled his eyes and glanced at Nico, to make sure.  
Jason took advantage of that to snap his glasses back.  
"Aw. Cheater." Percy settled back, nudging the Italian next to him. "You're starting your trip today, huh? That'll be cool. Even if you two are PURPOSELY looking for trouble."  
Nico kicked at the snow on the ground, relieved that they had moved off the subject of his question, even if he wasn't really satisfied with the information.  
"It'll be dangerous, yeah."  
Jason sighed, eyeing Percy. "I was just telling him why it was a good idea."  
"Good thing I got here then, cause it's NOT a good idea."  
"Yeah, like you would know. Why not, huh?"  
"Um...cause it's dangerous and there's going to be monsters? That can _eat_ them?"  
"Dude. They can take care of themselves. And just because we're demigods, doesn't mean they can't travel. It'll be good for them! And they'll be careful."  
"I wouldn't risk it."  
"Even if Annabeth wanted to?"

"Ummm..."

"That's what I thought."  
"Whatever. And by the way, you would so-  
Percy's words were whipped away as he fell off the steps and into the snow below.  
After a moment of shock, he spit the icy substance out of his mouth.  
Percy's thin shirt, his only layer between his skin and the cold cruel world, was soaked.  
"You...you pushed me!" He sputtered. His eyes were incredulous and accusing, looking at...Nico.  
Nico smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Of course I did. You two sound like an old married couple."  
Jason chortled.  
Nico turned to him. "Watch it or you'll be next."  
The scar on his lip twitched and those sky blue eyes behind his glasses flitted slightly to the side.  
It was too late a tell.  
Nico flew and tumbled down on his hands and knees in the snow.  
The cold shocked him.  
"Percy!" His teeth chattered as he uttered the cursed name.  
"Haha, oh wow...hahaha, did you see that Jason? He went a lot...haha...farther than I thought he would. Sorry, Nico."  
His dark hair was plastered with snow but his shirt was miraculously (or maybe not so miraculously) dry. So were his jeans.  
His grinned wolfishly down at Nico.  
"It's called, 'revenge' Nicoletti. Don't look so shocked."  
"What'd you call me?" It wasn't only the shock of the cold that number his senses, but the shock of being thrown.  
There was something rather unsettling of being in one place, then so suddenly and violently appearing in another one. But of course, Nico was used to this feeling and so he launched himself at his attacker and tackled Percy beneath him.  
"Aaahh! Jace! Help me!"  
The snow wasn't as soft as he'd expected. It gave way easily below them but it was cold and wet and overall rather uncomfortable.  
Nico packed some of it between his hands, and slapped it on the dark-haired hero's face.  
"There. Teach you not to throw me around."  
He could hear Jason laughing behind him and-  
}£]¥~=}*&%$ &%*Pl...ease...%$*%(-":& }]_=}.  
"Nooo! What are you doing?!"  
That was Will.  
Nico turned around, searching for his distressed boyfriend. Unfortunately, that caused Percy to gain the upper hand and he suddenly found himself abruptly on his back. His jacket protected him from most of the snow, but the shockingly cold substance managed to get in between his jeans and his shirt.  
He yelped, then found himself laughing.  
Percy laughed too. "Didn't think you'd be so easily distracted."  
"Shut up."  
The son of Poseidon helped him up in time to see Will standing over them looking a bit annoyed.  
"A bunch of children."  
Nico had to laugh at the pouty look on Will's face.  
Jason grinned. "That's what snow is for."  
"Yeah, yeah." Will conceded, looking at Nico and Percy skeptically.  
Nico was thinking over what Jason had said. And Nico decided that he liked the snow. Most likely some demigods had requested for a snow day and Chiron had conceded. Nico know that outside the camp boundaries was normal weather, but for now, he admired the fields and cabins and trees covered with snow.  
There was a sense of exhilaration and excitement that filled everyone from the inside out to feel the cold nip at exposed ankles and necks and noses.  
"Oh, look at you two. All wet." Will said it simply.  
Percy chuckled then suddenly pulled Nico roughly towards him, ruffling his hair. The son of Hades growled, his face smothered, and then his clothes dried.  
Will smiled.  
He had on a red winter jacket, as opposed to Nico's brown aviator jacket, and he was wearing jeans, and boots.  
He also had a multicolored scarf wrapped around his neck. In his hands, were other such items.  
"Really Will?" Nico groaned as his boyfriend approached him.  
"Yes, really." He huffed. "I will not have you getting sick when we're going on vacation."  
Nico giggled at that. True, their little trip was essentially a vacation.  
The blonde softened at the sound, and his face immediately lit up with amusement. "Yeah, well...imagine how I must have felt coming out of the bath and expecting sun and warmth and then getting slapped in the face by wintry wind and blinding WHITENESS all around." Nico let Will wrap a soft purple scarf around his neck. "Even worse," Will continued, "You just ran out without saying anything. Rejection without consolation." He nodded decidedly at having successfully chalked up his own injuries.  
Being reminded of that earlier awkwardness made Nico redden. So he leaned forward on his toes and kissed those pouting pink lips. "Better?"  
Will's sky-between-clouds eyes looked brighter, like diamonds in the surrounding snow.  
Will didn't like the snow because it was so bland and colorless, masking the beauty and green-ness of the grass and the trees and the little dollops of pastel colored flowers and the summer blue of the sky, and it made the sun seem colder, harsher, and unforgivingly reflecting light into the eyes of men from the billions of deadly crystals disguised as fluffy snow.  
But Nico loved it because not only did it reflect light that made your eyes ache, but it also reflected the beauty of anything on the snow itself. Like a white canvas in which to display art. In this case, Will was brighter, truly a shock of golden hair, blue eyes, and caramel skin.  
Beautiful.  
"Yes... better." Will murmured, staring at Nico as if he could read these thoughts in his eyes.  
Then Will fitted something over Nico's head, something large and wooly that temporarily covered his eyesight.  
"Wha-?"  
Bursts of laughter followed Nico's exclamation.  
The son of Hades cautiously pulled the wool from his eyes, (literally, not figuratively. Geez).  
It had ear flaps. And braided thread with a little poofballs at the ends. From what he could feel, there was also a larger ball of fuzz on top.  
Jason, Percy, and now Annabeth and Piper too, were laughing joyously.  
Will was looking at them questioningly and Nico pulled the offending garment off his head.  
It was black and white mostly, with little dancing skeletons wearing their own Santa hats.  
"Really, Solace." Nico sighed.  
"What? Why are they laughing? What did I do?"  
"Wow." Piper laughed. She had a faux fur winter jacket on and she was leaning on Jason's back, gloved hands on his shoulders. "That is so cute and ridiculous looking all at the same time."  
"Yeah, he looks silly." Annabeth commented.  
"Adorable." Jason corrected.  
They turned towards him, surprised. Nico did too.  
"What? It's true."  
Will huffed. "You all are talking about my hat  
And my boyfriend." The blonde shot him a look but Nico refused to put it on, blushing a bit at Jason's words.  
"He looks nice in it." Will rolled his eyes. "And plus, you just took a shower. You need to protect yourself from the cold."  
Will's argument was interrupted.  
"Where'd you even get that thing?" Percy snatched it from Nico's hands. He held it up like it was a dead rat stinking up the place.  
"I MADE it!" Will protested. He reached towards it defensively.  
They stared.  
Nico did a double-take.  
What?  
Will had made that thing? When?! And since when did he know how to knit?  
Percy bit his lip, to hold back a smile most likely, and handed the beanie hat to Nico, almost reverently.  
Or as reverent as Percy freaking Jackson could be.  
The son of Apollo licked over his bottom lip, analyzing the two couples.  
Will Solace looked like someone who wore his feelings on his sleeve, and it was true. Nico could carry an entire conversation with his boyfriend without ever needing to say a word. Unlike Nico's face, which was almost always impassive or scowling.  
But what most people didn't know about Will Solace was that he only showed what he wanted you to read. Nothing more, nothing less.

But Nico could see.

He was anxious and emotionally vulnerable. He was nervous about leaving camp. All his insecurities and doubts and concerns flooding him at once. The snow had jarred him, like a bad omen. Nico leaving him so abruptly, "rejection without consolation" had stung him more than he let on, and left him even more insecure. And now Nico had rejected Will's hat, his creation which he had probably put a lot of time into, and knowing Will, a lot of love.  
Worse yet, "Percabeth" and "Jiper" , his beloved "ships", were laughing at him.  
Will mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Just turn around, breathe."  
Nico's heart clenched. "Will...?"  
His boyfriend turned towards him, a sort of lost pleading look on his face. He tried to hide it though, the hope.  
Nico sighed and took his hand. "It's okay."  
He kissed him, and his lips tasted like snow and warmth and...mangoes?  
"What-lip gloss?"  
Will had drawn back, relaxed again.  
"No, chapstick. Cause' the cold."  
Nico's lips twitched and he shook his head. He took his boyfriend's warm hand and Nico started to lead him away.  
They still had to go see Leo, who claimed he had "something special" for them.  
Nico was wary, but he had to admit that he'd grown attached to the boy, and Calypso too. Most embarrassingly almost always talking about Percy.  
He was considering asking Will if he would like to stop at the Apollo cabin one last time when Will suddenly yanked him back, making him stumble in the snow. Nico quickly regained his balance and blinked at him.  
"What's-  
"Shut up!"  
Nico's mouth fell open. An unknown emotion was twisting Will's features. There was a snarl on his lips and his grip on Nico's hand had tightened painfully.  
Nico couldn't speak.  
"Just stop it, okay?!"  
Blue eyes glittered with anger.  
Nico swung around, looking for his friends for some explanation or for guidance he didn't know. But they weren't there anymore.  
"Stop what?" His voice was a whisper.  
"It doesn't matter. It DOESN'T. No one cares about this. About how Jason came and threw you over his shoulder and we all had fun chasing him as you yelled and cursed."  
Will released Nico's hand and the son of Hades took a step back.  
"No one cares about how you called Hazel and Frank and they wished you well and then how we went to the Apollo cabin where they all cheered and tried to braid your hair or how you finally went to Leo and he gave you that Iris messaging device.  
It doesn't matter."

Will slapped him.

It stung.

" _Wake up_."

* * *

"What is that?"

Sam asked the question that everyone wanted to ask him.  
So of course, no one had an answer.  
Hades was quiet, but he knew they would eventually turn to him for answers. Mortals almost always did.  
So it came as quite a shock when a small rough voice said, "Demon blood."  
They startled as Nico di Angelo sat up, blinking at them, at Reyna in particular.  
"You...you shouldn't be here. When did you get here? You shouldn't have, I'm fine." Nico stared at his father, then cut his glance sharply towards Percy.  
"Is he okay? Did you get him?"  
Nico knew the answer before the words even left his mouth but he had to ask.  
The son of Poseidon just held something out to him, his jaw working.  
"I went and asked around in the Apollo cabin, then went back to yours, but... I didn't see anything."  
Nico held out his hand.  
It trembled.  
Percy gave him the ring, Nico's ring. The silvery words glistened and cried at him.

.. _one heart_

The Italian stiffened. He didn't know what to do with it.  
It seemed like years, _ages_ , since Will had given it to him.  
They all looked at it.  
This poor substitution for a boyfriend...for a soul mate.  
Sam cleared his throat. "Um. If you could..." He gestured down at Nico's leg.  
Nico glanced down at it, at the new opened bandage that the boy had been about to apply.  
And past it, the burn.  
It didn't look like any he'd ever seen. It wasn't the usual burn of ordinary fire, nor the deadly scorch of Greek fire, this burn was intricate and ugly. Malevolent.  
Not just an accident or the biological reaction from anything towards fire, this was deliberate.  
Like both acid and fire working together with minds of their own to sear and destroy human flesh.  
"No." Nico covered it up himself, like it was something shameful. But the truth was that it scared him.  
He had said 'demon blood' but he didn't even know what that meant.  
He couldn't remember getting this injury, and he didn't want to think about why it didn't hurt, why it was in a perfectly straight line, like a sunburn, or what Will must have thought when he treated it and bandaged it.  
"I need you...to get out." Nico licked over his lips, still tasting like blood. The words hurt him, because he knew that if they left, that unbearable pain in his chest would worsen. But he had to.  
He couldn't keep his eyes off his father, because he was done.  
Will had slapped him into wakefulness. Pulled him into reality.  
He was done and he wanted this to be over.  
Hades had answers and Nico was going to get them.  
But his friends didn't need to hear this, and hell if Nico didn't WANT to. Every fiber in his being vibrated with wrongness and his heart thumped with _quiet away quiet away quiet away quiet away_ because he wanted Hades to keep quiet and because he wanted to get away to find Will.  
Somehow, he knew those two were intimately related, and as he looked at Hades' dark eyes, so like his own, he also knew that he wouldn't like the answers.  
...

* * *

 **I don't need to tell you what to do...**

 **I LOVE YOU!**


	32. Chapter 32

"Ugh, your room is disgusting."

Jason turned, the shirt he was about to slip over his head in his hand.

"Don't you ever knock?"

Percy glanced up, Jason wasn't annoyed.

More like, amused/miffed.

Yeah.

He'd seen Jason get angry, it was a terrible thing. His face would get all dark and cloudy, like the first signs of a storm. His eyes would sharpen and an electrical light would fill them. He didn't yell or shout but somehow it was worse.

He wasn't angry now.

His lips twitched with fond exasperation.

Fond?

Ugh. Since when did Percy worry about words?

Thanks Annabeth.

These were HIS thoughts for Hades' sake.

Percy decided not to deign Jason's last comment with a retort. "It's all organized and military. No personality whatsoever."

Jason turned and yanked the Camp Half-Blood T-shirt over his shoulders.

"Personality? Oh, so THAT'S what you call the mess in your cabin."

The son of Poseidon sank into Jason's crisply made bed and ignored the fact that Jason's muscles were bigger than his own, because they totally weren't.

"Yes. It even starts the same. PERcy, and PERsonality." He was rambling.

Again with the words!

The blonde shot him a questioning look.

"So does PERv."

He rolled his eyes. "PERfection."

Jason sat next to him, which made him antsy. Why couldn't he continue doing whatever he'd been doing instead of sitting there and staring at him and giving him 100% of his attention?

"So you're a perv with a perfect personality?"

"And you're a JAckass."

"Isn't JACK in Jackson?"

Percy glared, then groaned and let himself fall back on the bed.

Which was not a good idea because he had miscalculated, (big surprise, Annabeth would have said). And he had ended up banging his head against Jason's fucking cabinet. So now his head was stinging and throbbing and a hiss escaped from his mouth. Instead of rubbing at his injury Percy decided to cover his face with his hands.

He didn't want to see Jason's nasty face laughing at his pain.

Okay. It wasn't nasty.

But still.

Ew.

Ew Jason.

So then why had he gone here? After the argument he had immediately headed over to Jason's for apparently no real reason.

His head hurt.

"Percy. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just go do whatever you were going to do. Let me stay here? Please? Just for a while."

Jason was quiet. He watched the other boy.  
His dark nest of hair was spread out over Jason's pillow. His jeans hung a bit low on his hips and his shirt had hiked up to reveal a sliver of bronze skin. His legs were open. One with his knee up and the other one dangling over the edge of the bed.

Before Jason could think twice about he was doing, (a horrifying feeling, that) he was reaching over and caressing Percy's hair. Rubbing at the spot that he'd seen (and heard) bang against his cabinet.

At first, Percy flinched against him. Probably more out of shock than pain. But then he relaxed, sighing slightly.

Then Jason realized what he was doing.

He drew back, ready to clear his choked up throat and say something chiding when Percy WHINED.

A needy little hopeful sound.

Jason froze.

Percy pushed back against Jason's hand shamelessly. Not realizing what was wrong with what he was doing. Not realizing that this wasn't something that 'bros' did.

Jason swallowed and continued stroking through the thick tangled strands and down to his now sensitive scalp.

Though, if Jason actually thought about it, they had done a lot 'worse'.

Percy would wake him by jumping on Jason and flattening himself over him.

He would come over and take Jason's clothes when he was too lazy to wash his own.

During lunch the son of Poseidon would sometimes just take over his food, using Jason's own fork and drinking from the same cup.

And this one time, Jason had been calmly minding his own business in his own cabin to take his morning shower when the door had suddenly slammed open and, after all of two seconds, a certain dark-haired green-eyed NAKED Percy Jackson had jumped in next to Jason, covered in mud and what smelled like Tabasco sauce. Groaning about how much it burned.

But it wasn't all Percy, Jason sought him out too.

After he'd decided to stay in camp, the other boy had been gradually spending more time with Jason.

He had eagerly shown him around, he would challenge him to fights, drag him to all the camp activities, and sometimes just sit and talk with him.

Of course, Jason had welcomed him.

After a bit, he began to confide in him about some things, like Tartarus.

He never said much, but Jason had comforted him as best as he could, Distracting him, or saying a few reassuring words and then challenging HIM into a fight.

Yeah, Jason had grown attached to him a bit.

Competition made for great friendship, he'd found out, and Percy was always very physical and open, and this had encouraged Jason to be open too. And more trusting.

But this was different.

More like something a couple would do.

But then again Percy had almost no notion of boundaries.

The son of Zeus had talked to Annabeth about it once. (Not about Percy's lack of boundaries)

"It's true, isn't it?" She had wondered. "I've just been so busy with all of this redesigning Olympus thing, and working with my siblings, that we haven't been spending as much time as we used to together."

She had smiled then, teasingly, but a bit sad too.

"I think he's umm...kind of subconsciously searching for a father figure. But don't let him know I said that."

Jason was surprised, but he quickly got over it.

It sort of made sense, given Percy's experience with his stepfather, and then this Luke that he'd heard so much about.

And Jason kinda looked to him too. He'd never had a guy he could actually call his Friend, or his 'bro', as Percy so eloquently liked to put it.

And since they'd both been with...with Lupa, a part of her pack, it made them have something in common.

Something that he could see in Percy's antics.

His thoughts were interrupted when a loud, familiar sound of disbelief broke the silence.

"GraceChase! You abandoned me!"

Percy was stomping uphill to where the two blonde's were in front of the Athena cabin.

"'GraceChase'?" Annabeth wondered.

"Abandoned?" Jason questioned.

He made it and stood next to them, grinning slightly.

"Yeah, man. I thought we were playing capture the flag? I can't hold up this team all by myself."

"VERY FUNNY JACKSON!"

Percy grinned, looking towards the voice.

"Stop eavesdropping!"

Now that grin was gone, Percy's lips were turned down into a frown and his eyes were closed and covered.

Jason's face was hot, and so was the rest of his body.

A full-bodied blush. Great.

He continued hesitantly stroking through his unruly black locks.

"You're not going to tell me what's wrong, Jackson? Or are you just gonna lie there like the useless lump you are?"

Percy made a sound of complaint and removed one of his arms off his face to look at him with one annoyed green eye.

Jason schooled his features into aloof indifference.

Percy's nose turned up a bit.

Ugh. Why did Jason always have to look like that? With his features looking like he practiced them everyday in the mirror?

Percy removed both his hands and fixed Jason with his serious stare.

The one that said, "Jason, thou are being an insufferable idiot."

(Insufferable does not mean that he cannot suffer, it means that I cannot suffer him, just so you know. Annabeth taught me that one by using it so much on me.)

The stare made Jason uncomfortable.

He dropped his hand and nudged Percy's shoulder instead.

What was he hiding?

Ugh. Percy didn't care. He was TIRED.

"Nothing's wrong, Jason. Me and Annabeth...oh wait, SORRY. Annabeth and I got into a-an argument."

His voice kinda failed him from angry and sarcastic to small and nonchalant.

Nonchalant, like Jason's fake face.

"About grammar?"

Percy rolled his eyes, smirking, the pain in his head all but forgotten. "No. It was just...nothing."

"Nothing. Now you sound like Nico."

Percy looked at him for a bit, and then scootched over to set his head on the other boy's lap.

Jason flinched.

Percy couldn't help but smile at that. "Really, Jason. I'll go apologize later."

"You're like a fat, annoying cat." Jason grumbled.

"Meow?"

Jason looked down at him with those electric blue eyes.

Percy wanted to poke em.

He was about to snuggle up and maybe get some sleep using his bro's legs as pillows, (they were not at all soft or fluffy, but they were warm and they were safe, so...duh) but Jason inhaled sharply and yanked him up.

"Ow! Man, really?" What was his problem?

Percy rubbed at his shoulder and glared at him.

Jason stood, taking Percy's warm pillows with him."Stop pouting. Come on."

"Pouting'? I am death-glaring you."

"Nah. Nico presses his lips together, or he curls his lip. You're just pushing it out. Like a baby."

"Yeah, well...at least I don't look like-"

Hades yanked his hands back with a frustrated growl.

The offspring of his brothers stumbled back from where Hades had placed his cold, godly hands upon their foreheads.

"Your 'warm pillows'?" Jason sputtered.

"'father figure'?" Perseus demanded.

He turned towards his girlfriend, outraged.

His girl counterpart grimaced, then frowned. Those gears in her brain turning as she glanced from my son back to me. "Wait...I don't remember ever having that conversation with Jason. Or this fight...Is this like the visions Nico has been getting?"

Hades sighed.

He wished he could just take his son away and tell him in private.

Though part of him was certainly dreading it.

Like confronting Demeter after he stole away her daughter but worse.

Hades had made a mistake.

A selfish, foolish, HUMAN mistake.

And all because the Fates, the universe, had done his son wrong.

"And that...that vision just isn't possible. We could hear their...their thoughts," the Athena girl continued.

The little one nodded slowly. "Yeah, like some screwed up movie with bad narrators."

The Jackson boy rolled his eyes at that.

Without warning, his son slipped off the bed, the tungsten obsidian ring winking sinisterly on the fourth finger of his left hand. Like a wedding band.

Nico silently reached for his folded clothes on a nearby plastic chair.

"Wait, Nico...you should at least wait until Will comes back." That was Hazel, reaching for her brother's arm but not quite touching him.

He glanced at her then back at Annabel. "It wasn't a VISION...it was...it was a memory."

He turned then, wearily, to his father.

"Right dad?"

Hades stared back, stoically.

The protective shield wouldn't last long.

Even now, he could sense Zeus trying to peer in, and Apollo too, trying to GET in...that boy had changed a lot since he was cast down to Earth.

Eventually, they would be able to get in and Hades would have to-how did the mortals say it?

Oh, right.

Hades would have to face the music. (Not Apollo's music, mind you, that would be painful) it meant he would have to go and face the consequences of those he'd deceived.

But he was already in 'hell'. What more could they do to him?

Right now, he chose to worry about his son, grimacing from the pain in his soul and trying to hide it from his friends.

They hadn't listened to Nico when he'd told them to leave, and for that, Hades was ridiculously thankful for.

Now the little boy, (the nurse one, not the Hephaestus one, but not the Solace boy either) hurried around the cot to get to His son, he was waving around a clipboard like it was Zeus's lighting bolt.

"Stop it! Will said that you weren't supposed to leave the cot until you've had at least two weeks of bed-rest! You're not even supposed to be standing right now!"

The boy tripped and Nico stumbled to catch him, grabbing on to his upper arms while the younger boy regained his balance.

The little one colored and Hades' son blinked down at him, taking the clipboard ? without saying a word.

Hades closed his eyes, and with a single thought, tried yet again to give them the memories he had taken.

Yes...it was true.

Hades had erased their memories...

From over a year.

* * *

SUBJECT: Nico di Angelo  
Son of Hades  
Race: Italian/ hispanic/white  
Age: 14-15 (80?)  
Sex : Male  
Weight: 75-80  
Relatives: Hazel Levesque, Me (in a non-weird way) Percy Jackson&Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper Mclean, Frank Chang.  
Height: Little. (Wouldn't stand by the meter stick)

Able to raise the dead/summon skeleton warriors. power over ghosts? Breaks the earth. Shadow-travel.

Patient boyfriend is not allowed to leave the infirmary nor the bed for any reason. Assist in bathing/relieving himself. Unicorn draught is more effective. Change bandages often, do not submit to his wiles. Patient WILL fake recovery. Patient WILL resort to seduction or violence. Threat's towards bodily-harm are usually empty.

No pills.

Sleeping draught only administered by ME.

Non-threatening lacerations on ankles, upper thighs, along the spinal cord and lower stomach region.

Blood vessel disturbance=non threatening.  
Tearing along the esophagus.

No solids.  
No yelling  
No growling.  
No discernable injury to lungs.

Lacerations already treated against infection, stitches on legs, plausible to rip, heavy bandaging on lower stomach DO NOT LET HIM MOVE.

Deepest wound across the tendons of his arms, both heavily bandaged, do not change these yet, stitches= cause unknown.

Don't let him move.

Don't give him mashed potatoes.

Don't let him move.

* * *

Nico swallowed heavily.

It was definitely Will's.

He could see the son of Apollo writing, artfully scribbling these words down, sliding the pencil in to that little loop at the ends of the words.

There were little doodles around the margins, betraying the amount of time he must have spent on it.

Nico didn't miss the other things either.

How he must have pressed on the pen too hard, how he lost control of the pen in some words, and how the ink was blurred and smeared in some places.

The paper was crinkled.

Will never left his reports in such conditions.

There were other pages in the clipboard too, older ones, all about Nico.

The pain in his chest increased and he had to set it down, grabbing his chest in a futile motion, as if he could somehow clutch and soothe his aching heart.

"Dad-!" He choked out.

Why he called out for HIM he had no idea, but he did and he fell back on his bed.

He could see his friends jumping to help him but that was the last thing he saw before the world flooded with darkness.

* * *

"You are my..."

They met angels and demons and warlocks and vampires werewolves and faries and fearies.

"Sunshine..."

And more gods. Giant squirrels and dwarves and evil wolves.

"My only..."

Giant hippos and sun-swallowing serpents and albino crocodiles.

"Sunshine..."

Underground cities with giant bats and talking dolls. Countries full of death and blood and others with light and flying children.

"You make me..."

They went everywhere. Laughing and playing and crying and screaming. Bleeding, shouting, fighting and losing and winning.

"Happy..."

They went to all the places Nico had discovered, the thousands of realms that existed just because they could. Hidden away from each other and shared only between Nico and Will.

"When skies are..."

Gods, Angels, Satan, and Odin and Osiris, Zeus and others were angry but unable to track them.

"Gray..."

Scars and kisses.  
They argued some, about their new surroundings. Nico's reluctance to get involved. Will's recklessness towards himself.

"Please don't..."

His attachment to the people they met was dangerous. And Nico worried.

But it was hard to worry when Will lit up with happiness and how everyone around loved Will.

"Take my sunshine..."

But that all ended.

Time had fixed itself in Nico's mind and he saw everything play out in the back of his eyelids.

Somewhere between Christmas at Will's and the wedding, time had been ripped,

"Away."

"The other night dear..."

There was glitter on his face.

Like star-dust among his freckles. His hair was combed, for once in his life, and it had a bit of gel in it.

He was wearing a purple bow tie, with a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

Black jeans. Tight and nice looking. Between formal and casual.

He was tall and composed and he held a hand out to Nico, smiling.

Very civilized.

But Nico could see that boy that ran around eating strawberries right off the ground like nobodies business in those eggshell-cloud eyes.

"Dance with me."

Nico's finger flew across the glass of his drink.

A nervous, involuntary tick.

"No." It didn't have his usual finality to it and Will knew it. His smile got wider.

"You have to dance with me, Nico."

There was a slow unrecognizable song with a woman who sang smooth and soft.

Will was already rocking slightly, his hand still out insistently.

"This might be your last chance to dance at a vampire club."

Nico took another swig from what he hoped was a non-alcoholic neon green liquid and stood, walking confidently and swiftly towards his boyfriend.

"Stop throwing that word around."

Despite his nonchalant bordering on flippant attitude, Nico's sides instantly burned as Will slid his arms around him.

His breath caught in his throat as Will pulled Nico against his own body.

The boys leaned against each other and danced, until they realized that the glitter they were inevitably ingesting was drugging them and they hurried out of the place.

Giggling and glowing, and not just because of the glitter.

"While I was sleeping..."

Nico fell about ten feet and landed with a sickening crack on his back.

The strong, tightly packed floorboards didn't deign him with a clatter or a budge. Just a muffled thump.

Fire replaced the air in his lungs and he stayed there in stunned befuddlement while the ringing in his ears faded.

"Dead." The female voice of his sparring partner pronounced, and a second later the cold touch of a blade was against his neck.

Nico's eyes focused on the older woman above him.

A whoosh and then a flinch and her eyes widened, jerking back from Nico's sprawled form.

There was an arrow sticking out of the wall behind her, a thin scratch on the side of her neck shining wetly.

"Dead!" A familiar chirpy voice called out.

Nico turned his head to see his boyfriend walking briskly towards them, a worried smile on his face.

Isabel leaned away, rubbing at her neck while Will slung his bow over his shoulder and proceeded to embarrass Nico by cooing and prodding at his bones to make sure nothing was broken.

Training with strangers in front of his boyfriend.

"I dreamt I held you in my arms..."

Nico squirmed, feeling the fine hairs of the brush touch his shoulder blade.

"Stop moving!"

Nico snapped still, burying his face in the purple pillows.

"There's not even any paint on it!" He huffed. "...and this is weird. What if your mom comes in?"

The mattress creaked as Will shifted above the dark-haired Italian, but he wasn't actually on him, he was kneeling awkwardly with his legs spread on either side of him leaning down close enough for Nico to feel his breath on his lower back.

"I'm asking Apollo to bless my canvas, in this case, your skin. AND, may I remind you that you agreed to this? No take-backs. Also, you know mom isn't here."

Nico held his arms out in a position that, if he were standing, would have looked as if he was surrendering at gunpoint.

In this case, at brushpoint.

"I lost a bet! I didn't technically agree to this. I could have sworn that the pregnant hippopotamus lady would roll instead of bounce."

Will flicked his head and Nico had to flinch at the unexpected assault.

"That 'pregnant hippopotamus lady' is the goddess of fertility. Respect her. She might curse you...and it was pretty obvious that she would bounce down the hill."

Will suddenly kissed the nape of his neck and Nico flinched again, blushing slightly.

He sighed.

He didn't like having his back to him like this, without being able to look at him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust him, Nico probably trusted Will Solace more than anyone in the world.

But... he felt vulnerable and now paranoid about that.

How did he look to Will right now?

Nico knew had scratches and scars on his back, and he knew he was thin, and pale, and why would Will ever want to do this anyways?

Nico was probably the worst-

Will interrupted Nico's thoughts with a sigh.

"You're gorgeous Nico. So, so pretty. I can't stop touching you."

Will's hands flew down to his sides, and Nico couldn't hold back the squeal that came out of him.

"I SAID NO TICKLING, JESUS CHRIST!"

The tickling stopped but Nico still squirmed, cursing the fact that Will was still above him and the fact that Nico was entirely naked underneath Will's sheets.

"Jesus? I think it's time we move on to the next world. Unless I look like a holy bearded Jew to you."

Will traced his spine down to Nico's lower back.

"Stop touching! Are you finished blessing? Let's get this over with as quickly as possible."

His boyfriend complied because a second later a drop of something cold and wet and soft at his neck.

Will exhaled and Nico stilled.

He closed his eyes.

Maybe this wasn't so bad.

Will began to sing as he painted and Nico filled in the lyrics that the blonde denied, his heart filling with dread for some reason.

Nico finished off the rest of the song in his head, since Will didn't know that Nico knew it:

"When I awoke dear, I was mistaken and so I hung, my head, and cried."

He awoke.

Eyes shooting open, chest heaving violently and arms reaching out.

There was blood.

Hot, thick, screaming blood on his fingers.

There was nothing beautiful or poetic about it.

It was vile.

Disgusting.

Rancid and hateful and dripping down his arms, sending his stomach lurching.

His heart was beating so fast he wondered if it was his blood, but he knew it wasn't.

Terror choked up his throat.

His chest hurt.

"Nico, stop!"

No.

No!

Hades didn't understand! Didn't he see the blood?

His fingers were crushed suddenly, tightly, in his father's hand. His eyes were unreadable.

"Will is dead."

*****  
Oh and, Happy Birthday to me.  
:D


	33. Chapter 33

Forgive my Italiano, I am Mexicano~

* * *

"He died a week before the wedding. My son and his-WILL. Will Solace. They went around the world...against the consent of the gods. They changed their names and...and they helped a lot of people. They fought wars. Brought down governments. Killed demons. Fought the sphinx, helped...Cinderella."

"All of this..." Hades continued, looking miserably mortal, "...it was an illusion. A glimpse of what would have been if...if Will Solace hadn't died."

"I erased your memories. The memories of the Solace family...the camp, and..." He swallowed. Another worrying human gesture. "The gods too."

The machines whirred and clicked and the muted talking in the infirmary was merely wind whispering through the leaves. Nico was...lost.

Hazel let out a breath, like poison, and stumbled out of the room. Frank went after her.

"Why?" The Italian's voice broke. "Why would you do that?"

He was plaintive. Like a child hurt for the first time asking why would anyone hurt someone else. Why deliberately inflict pain on someone?  
Why?

Why would you take the love of my life away?

Hades shook his head. "I had to."  
And then again, firmly. "I _had_ to."

He had to? No. NO.

no.

"NO! FUCK YOU-"

"Nico di Angelo-

"WHY WOULD YOU-HOW COULD YOU-"

"Nico!"

"BRING HIM BACK, I SWEAR-

"Listen!" Hades hissed and the air rippled with some dark emotion. The god snatched up his son's arm.

"No! Zitto, no capisce! Lo amo, papi-

"Nico, please-

"Come potrei? Como-

The pale hand tightened on Nico's forearm, yanking him up. The young boy arched into the touch, from the pain, while simultaneously jerking away from him.

"You slit your wrists!"

Nico's eyes were bright, feverishly afraid and frantic.

"You tried to kill yourself!" The god of the underworld didn't let go. His face was twisted in anguish. "You were the strongest! But you did this! _THIS_!"

Nico wailed.

That snapped the rest of them out of their stupor.

"Please, please, _please_ just put him down. Put him down. You're hurting him!" Sam yelped.

Someone else cursed.

Percy stepped forwards.

Hazel ran in. "Dad!"

"You are strong, Nico di Angelo! But YOU did this. You did this to yourself. It was an accident. An accident!" Hades shook him.

Nico sobbed, clinging to his father.

"N-No... nooooo, papa."

"Yes. _yes_. He died, di Angelo. He died in your arms and then you died too."

"Drop him!" Sam cried, shrilly.

Percy had his sword drawn but he didn't know what to do. He backed into Jason. Jason pushed him towards the others. Ushering them out of the room.

"I gave you more time with him, Nico. That's all. I erased all of this." He gestured down at Nico's body. At his bleeding bandages. "But you FOUGHT me. Your nightmares...you broke through that barrier in your mind. You couldn't just...enjoy it?"

"Will..."

"He's dead. And no. I can't bring him back, and no, you won't go and find him and NO, you will not kill yourself! I forbid you."

Hazel was holding on to Hades' arm but her father didn't even notice.

He was too busy looking at his son, with his split lip and the fading splotches of red and his shining brown eyes full of calculations and desperation.

"You can't stop me."

Hades' face twisted in anguish. The lord of the underworld finally dropped his son.

If Nico hadn't been so tense he would have had a shorter fall and a lot less hurt. But he was tense and panicked and so he yelped and writhed against the sheets, gasping.

"I...I thought I could. After you injured yourself trying to find a way... I closed all the entrances to the Underworld to you."

Nico didn't appear to hear him, his eyes focusing and defocusing on the blood soaking the bandage around his violated arm.

"But then you...you _killed_ yourself and I stopped that too! But perhaps I shouldn't have."

Sam was crying somewhere far off. Hazel was trembling on her father's arm.

"I know I can't stop you. It...it's up to you now." The god waved his hand over his son and if you looked closer you might've noticed his promise ring shining with an ominous light.

But no one did.

Blood made its way like greedy fingers down to his hand. Coating them in crimson.

Father and son both stared at the bloody hand.

Nico screamed

then he threw up.

* * *

 **AGHHHHHHH!**

 **We've been through so muuuuch together! From playing HALO to swimming at the beach to stabbing the Super Sized McShizzle to making out by the beach to lying alone and feeling your heart being ripped out of your chest.**

 **So...Is this the epilogue?**

 **Do we start another story?**

 **Should I end this here?**

 **Should there or should there not be another book? Cause I kinda want there to be one, but I don't know if that'll just be dragging it onnnn (Sharknado 2)**

 **REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT TO DO**


	34. PART TWO Wake up

**Thanks to _youseenothing_ for...being amazing. AND giving me title for part two. xD**

 **Thanks to all my lovely readers and reviewers...**

 **AND TO THE GUEST WHO CALLED ME EVIL.**

* * *

 _ **PART TWO:**_

Wake Up

* * *

I died.

Whoops.

Honestly, I couldn't even remember dying, which was totally unfair.

Dying was probably the most important part of every mortal's life...and I couldn't even remember mine!

Wait no...being _born_ is the most important part...and we can't remember that either so, what am I complaining about again?

Ugh.

I wondered if death was making me absent minded or if I'd always been this way.

Warning: Some side effects of death may include; not breathing, no blood, loss of physical body, not being able to eat...oh and scatterbrained-ess.

I didn't go to Elysium.

I'm not some big-shot hero so I didn't actually expect to get into anything fancy like the Isle of the Blessed, but I don't think that I deserve to be in the Fields of Punishment either.

What happens to the people in between? The mediocre ones?

Was I mediocre?

Nico would hit me for saying so. (He loves to abuse me like that, with affection) Yeah. He would smack my arm and then growl about how perfect I was.

Nico-

No.

I can't think about Nico right now.

Anyways, when we traveled around the world and had some pretty AWESOME adventures but also some ugly bad ones, the last thing on my mind was death and what came after.

So many different worlds and religions and beliefs all swirling around in my head and all of them true but also maybe not-I was surprised I didn't just explode into tiny Will flavored particles across the universe.

Spoiler alert: I did not explode.

Nothing extraordinary happened, I just appeared in what I somehow knew to be Hades' waiting room.

Beyoncé played through hidden speakers.

I panicked, fear shooting through my veins as my breath came in labored gasps.

(I didn't freak out about Beyoncé. She's not _that_ good)

It was like someone had plucked me up in the middle of dying and suddenly everything was frozen except me and Beyoncé.

Nico...I really can't tell this story without him...his name was still on my lips and the warmth from his hold still clung to me, as did the feel of his soft lips pressing into my forehead.

These sensations are what has kept me going for so long.

Pretty soon Hades himself came to see me. I was a celebrity! Not having to wait in line for centuries or whatever sort of paperwork you have to fill out when you died.

Hint: It was because I was dating (dated?) his son.

But then I started to get a little bit more scared than I already was.

I'd treated Nico right, right?

Yeah, of course. I loved him.

I love him.

Hades wouldn't pop me down to Tartarus or anything like that.

Right?

"You're a special case, William Solace."

I made an incoherent noise. (Being dead was doing wonders for my conversational skills)

"You've visited many other realms..."

"So I can choose?"

Now that I think about it, it probably wasn't very wise of me to interrupt him but...I did.

"...yes."

Hm. Maybe I could go to Valhalla. Had I died with a weapon in my hands? Most likely.

My clothes were drenched in blood.

Or...heaven? Maybe I could go to heaven.

No! Maybe I could go haunt Nico. That'd be awesome.

I felt a pang.

Nico.

It was...too soon. He's probably mad at me right now.

We were supposed to do so much, we were going to go home after this trip. Before that we'd stopped at my house, so I could say hello to my mom and, (fine Henry too) and maybe rest for a bit.

And college! Nico _wanted_ to go to college! He said he wanted to work at McDonald's.

I'd imagined him in his red and yellow uniform and serving people their cheeseburgers and pancakes and I had to laugh.

His face had gotten so adorably red and I immediately felt bad.

"I hate you."

I knew he didn't mean it. My baby was incapable of hating me.

"Nooo...I'm sorry, Nico."

"It's not okay to laugh at people's dreams, Solace."

"I sworry." I kissed his neck then, that soft, delightfully sinful skin. Nico refused to laugh, choosing instead to squirm away from me.

I held him close until I heard a giggle.

"You can work at whatever fast food restaurant you want." One more kiss. "As long as you don't eat the food."

He pretended to consider. "Maybe I'll open my own place. With healthy, delicious, fast food."

"Healthy fast food? There's no such thing."

"It WILL be, and delicious too."

"Okay fine. What will you name it?"

"... _Nico's_."

"Nico's what?"

"Just _Nico's_."

"What?! At least Leo and Calypso had the decency to name their place after both of them!"

He laughed again, that silly delighted giggle that must have been missing from his childhood.

"Okay, okay fine. What will you contribute?" Teasing.

"Uh...first aid?"

"Ew. No one wants to eat a place that smells like dead people."

"So...your dad's place?"

"Hey!"  
Will caught the boy's wrists before Nico could smack him.

"Fine. No first aid. Maybe I'll just give your guests, healthy, delicious...foot rubs."

"DON'T TOUCH MY FEET!"

...

I turned to Hades.

"I want to go back."

He nodded. "Reincarnation. Anything in particular?"

And suddenly, I could remember Nico. Beautiful brown eyes wide and scared and shocked. He was screaming, but I couldn't hear him.

Why had I died?

Was Nico...was he okay?

He wasn't dead, I knew that much.

But there were worse things than death.

"My daughter, Bianca, chose reincarnation too. Most who die young, do. It's a good choice." He seemed almost impatient to get rid of me.

"No...is Nico okay? Will he be alright?"

Hades remained impassive. "Of course. My son will be-

His eye twitched.

Lips parted.

"E-Excuse me."

He disappeared.

That did NOTHING to ease my anxiety.

Needless to say, Nico was not alright.

It hurt.

It hurt so much to see Nico hurting. When Nico had first kissed me and I'd seen the joy and trust and fear and LOVE in those eyes, I swore that I would never hurt him.

But I did.

Hades had all but forgotten about me when Nico got hurt.

Until I snuck out of the waiting room.

It could have been days or months that passed while I was waiting. But finally I had enough, and I eventually persuaded SOMETHING to let me go.

The skeleton guard zombie things liked me for some reason (I think it was the hair) and they let me go through unchallenged.

I tiptoed up to his study, feeling ridiculously like a child, and then crept behind the giant chair-throne thingy.

Believe it or not, Persephone herself had told me where to find the god.

She didn't seem happy about that and it made me nervous.

But a lot of things made me nervous.

Nico made me nervous.

A good kind of nervous.

Like when he stared absently at me. His eyes would become intensely focused on my chin or something and I could say anything I wanted and he wouldn't hear me.

Then I tickled him and he would shriek inhumanely loud.

"No! Don't touch me-e! Why do you do that? It's not funny!"

Then he would jump on me.

But if I did it in public he would melt into embarrassed and scared Nico and so I didn't do it in public.

Well, not usually.

"No, no. No, STOP! Stupid boy. Stupid, stupid...why is he doing this? Where is he going?"

Hades slipped into Italian, then French, then some language I didn't recognize.

He was angry.

Waves of darkness, so similar to Nico's crept across the floor and across the walls.

I crouched behind the chair, tucking my knees into my chest.

A memory struck me.

My mom...yelling. And Apollo pleading. And I was...hiding behind the couch.

Weird. I didn't know I even had that memory.

"No, no...you can't leave!"

Hades was saying that. Then he hit whatever he was looking at.

A scrying bowl maybe.

Then he was silent.

I stood. I just needed to be a bit higher to see what Hades was looking at. A bit higher...higher...

Oh! Oh! I'm floating!

I bit down on either an excited squeal or a scared shriek and tried to focus.

So I could fly. Whatever.

Totally cool.

The god of the Underworld was looking down at His son, but the screen looked fuzzy through the god's tablet.

Or phablet.

His godly connection wasn't working probably cause Nico wasn't in the Greek realm anymore.

I peered into the screen.

It was Nico!

Nico was-

He was-

He was doing-

Wait...what was he doing?!

I jumped forwards.

"STOP HIM! DO SOMETHING! NICO! NICO CAN YOU HEAR ME! STOP THAT! HADES, HADES STOP HIM! NICO! NICO! NI-

"Quiet, boy!"

"But...but...y-you need to do something! Send me back, send-

"I SAID QUIET!"

I shut my mouth. I wasn't breathing hard. I wasn't even breathing to begin with.

But somehow, my eyes were tearing up.

And my stomach hurt. My whole body hurt as I watched Nico hurt.

Hurt...

Hurt himself.

As I watched Nico hurt himself.

I covered my mouth, as though to muffle a sob. Or a scream. Or maybe to stop myself from throwing up.

Oh...oh, Nico...

"He can't die. I forbade it. My son is not to enter this realm by his own devices." Hades' voice was deep, solemn, and gravely from yelling at the screen just moments before.

Nico was oblivious.

He was sitting in a semi-clean bathroom, kicking at the opposite stall and running his bloodied hands through his hair.

Nico had finally stopped...and his blade was resting beside him.

I had never seen it before.

"Why can't we hear anything?"

Hades tried to snatch the tablet away from me but I held on to it.

We had a little wrestling match.

I won.

"You infuriating little idiot!"

I held the thing to my chest, imagining I could feel Nico.

"I cannot- he is out of my reach."

Hades was wearing a men's dirty, white tank top with a pair of black boxing shorts. His dark hair was wild and unkempt and he wasn't wearing any shoes.

Hades looked startlingly human.

"Can't you send someone?" My voice was trembling.

"I...I do not know where he is."

"Iris message him! Or...or..."

"He is in what we call, a 'dead zone'."

"Where!?"

"I said I do not know! Most likely somewhere in Asia...the 'deities' there are extremely hostile."

I glared at him.

Even Percy the god would've been more useful right now.

I probably should have been scared of Hades.  
He DID control what happened to me next, after all.

But I was too anguished and wrapped up in what was happening to my boyfriend that I didn't care.

Also, I had experience with scary-looking guys who were actually big softies.

I stared down at the tablet, at my Nico who kept bleeding from where he'd mutilated his wrists but didn't die.

I wanted to be there.

I wanted to clamp my hands over his injuries and tap into whatever power lied inside of me.

I wanted to wrap him up in bandages and then in my arms and scold him and kiss him and maybe cry a bit about how much he had scared me and how could he do that and never ever to do it again.

Didn't he know I was here?

Watching him?

I poked at the screen, following some whim, and the muted volume icon came up.

With a shaking finger, I tapped at it.

Hades let out a quiet surprised gasp and I restrained the urge to strangle him with it.

Stupid gods.

Nico was whispering and banging his head against the stall door.

"Just let me go, Hades!" He ripped out strands of his beautiful hair which was now matted with blood.

I whimpered.

I clutched the screen so tightly I half wished it would break and half wondered how it didn't.

Nico closed his eyes. "I've tried everything..."

He sounded so tired.

I let my eyes trail back to Hades. I could barely speak. "How...how long...?"

"Two months since you died." Hades said simply.

My mouth felt like I'd been sucking on dead batteries.

Two months? But it had only been like six hours...how had I let this happen?

This was my fault.

Nico was doing THIS because of ME.

The god stood up straighter and held out his hand expectantly.

I clung to the tablet, pressing it against my chest.

Nico's voice cane from the tablet, raspy and cracked.

"I just want to see him again...I need to see him. Just...just one more time? I just want to look at him. I need to...oh...please..."

Nico sobbed.

I cried.

And although I didn't bleed or breathe anymore, I still cried.

* * *

"Did you hear about the son of Hades?"

"Poor Nico."

"Nico?"

"Yeah. Nico di Angelo. Who else?"

"No, but did you hear what the other gods are saying?"

"Oh, THAT. I don't believe it."

"They said that di Angelo killed entire cities looking for his boyfriend. Sent them straight to Tartarus."

"Oh, yeah! I heard he tortured a bunch of monsters."

"I heard that he rose so many dead and sent them searching."

"He killed mortals?"

"And tortured them."

"Whoa."

"Are we talking about the same Nico di Angelo? That boy is kind, and sweet-

"That's cause you didn't know him before. Major Creep."

* * *

"The least you could do is give him his memories back." Percy accused, looking pointedly towards the god of the dead.

"He doesn't want them back."

"Yes he does...?"

"He won't want them once he has them." Hades glanced out at the window, where the sun was still rising on the horizon.

"The gods are desperate to get through. They've contacted the campers, trying to find out what's going on." Hades mused.

"What _is_ going on?" Chiron appeared, hooves clomping on the floorboards.

The centaur didn't wait for answer.

He took a look around.

His eyes settled on the tired, scared demigods, on Sam's tear streaked face, on Hazel and Reyna clutching to each other, and finally on Nico.

"I think you should leave, lord Hades." He declared. He sounded tired.

Everybody was tired.

"Indeed." The god shot one last look at his children, and disappeared.

"Now. Would anyone care to explain? And where is Will Solace?"

That made everyone cringe, and Nico tense under the sheets.

Annabeth led their instructor away.

How could everything be normal? How could the sun still shine?

Nico pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, fighting for clarity.

So...Will was...Will was dead.

Dead.

Not possible. Not Will.

But he was. He was gone. Nico could feel it as surely as he felt the injuries on his body.

It's not the end of the world...

It wasn't. And Nico was nowhere near close to giving up on Will.

He was going to get him back.

* * *

 **OKAY. FIRST OF ALL, MOST OF YOU, SUCK.**  
 **Why u no tell me what to do?**  
 **AND SO I HAVE DECIDED TO...**  
 **continue.**  
 **This Nightmare isn't over yet.**  
 **(hopefully this is a bit more enjoyable than a nightmare though, I mean come on. I do try.)**  
 **Oh and...I'M NOT EVIL! I BELIEVE IN HAPPY ENDINGS! JUST...stay with me!**


	35. The End

Well.

That was a rather short part two, but I just didn't want to leave with such a sad ending.

the world needs more happy endings.

THANK YOU soooo much for staying and reading with me,

I had so much fun!

and I hope you did too. xD

I feel like I made so many friends, and fell in love with the Percy Jackson fandom all over again.

ALSO, I would loooove to read any stories that any of you have written! So be sure to tell me. ;)

GOOD BYE MY JACKALOPE WOMBATS AND ANY OTHER AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS I MAY HAVE CALLED YOU

Love ya.


	36. NEW STORY! :D

_**ATTENTION!**_

THERE WILL BE A NEW STORY FOLLOWING PART-TWO IF ANY OF YOU(and hopefully some new) WOMBATS ARE INTERESTED!

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MORE SOLANGELO

MORE FLUFF

MORE ANGST

MORE OTHER CHARACTER INVOLVEMET

WILL BE TAKING REQUESTS AS ALWAYS~

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(for any questions you can review here, or PM me or youseenothing for more information)


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